The Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are four new climate scenarios developed to provide consistent data for long-term and near-term climate modeling. They span radiative forcing levels from 2.6 to 8.5 W/m² by 2100, representing a wide range of existing literature. The RCPs are the result of collaboration between integrated assessment modelers, climate modelers, terrestrial ecosystem modelers, and emission inventory experts. They provide high-resolution data on land use, emissions, and concentrations, with spatial resolution of 0.5 × 0.5 degrees and sectoral breakdowns for air pollutants. The RCPs are harmonized across models and scenarios to ensure consistency with historical data while preserving scenario trends. They are supplemented by Extended Concentration Pathways (ECPs) for the period up to 2300. The RCPs are important for climate research and serve as a foundation for further studies on emissions mitigation and impact analysis. The development process involved three phases: scenario development, parallel climate model runs, and final integration. The RCPs are based on existing literature and are designed to be representative of the full range of scenarios, including those with and without climate policy. They cover key driving forces such as population, income, energy, and land use, and provide data for climate models and integrated assessment models. The RCPs include four pathways: RCP2.6 (low forcing), RCP4.5 (medium stabilization), RCP6 (medium stabilization), and RCP8.5 (high baseline emissions). The RCPs are developed using a harmonization process, with data from IAMs and CMs, and include detailed information on emissions, concentrations, and land use. The RCPs are used to explore climate change impacts and mitigation options, and their development aims to provide a consistent set of scenarios for climate research. The RCPs are based on scenarios from the literature and are designed to be representative of the full range of possible future scenarios. They are used to assess the impacts of different climate policies and to explore the role of adaptation in climate change. The RCPs are an important development in climate research and provide a potential foundation for further research and assessment.The Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are four new climate scenarios developed to provide consistent data for long-term and near-term climate modeling. They span radiative forcing levels from 2.6 to 8.5 W/m² by 2100, representing a wide range of existing literature. The RCPs are the result of collaboration between integrated assessment modelers, climate modelers, terrestrial ecosystem modelers, and emission inventory experts. They provide high-resolution data on land use, emissions, and concentrations, with spatial resolution of 0.5 × 0.5 degrees and sectoral breakdowns for air pollutants. The RCPs are harmonized across models and scenarios to ensure consistency with historical data while preserving scenario trends. They are supplemented by Extended Concentration Pathways (ECPs) for the period up to 2300. The RCPs are important for climate research and serve as a foundation for further studies on emissions mitigation and impact analysis. The development process involved three phases: scenario development, parallel climate model runs, and final integration. The RCPs are based on existing literature and are designed to be representative of the full range of scenarios, including those with and without climate policy. They cover key driving forces such as population, income, energy, and land use, and provide data for climate models and integrated assessment models. The RCPs include four pathways: RCP2.6 (low forcing), RCP4.5 (medium stabilization), RCP6 (medium stabilization), and RCP8.5 (high baseline emissions). The RCPs are developed using a harmonization process, with data from IAMs and CMs, and include detailed information on emissions, concentrations, and land use. The RCPs are used to explore climate change impacts and mitigation options, and their development aims to provide a consistent set of scenarios for climate research. The RCPs are based on scenarios from the literature and are designed to be representative of the full range of possible future scenarios. They are used to assess the impacts of different climate policies and to explore the role of adaptation in climate change. The RCPs are an important development in climate research and provide a potential foundation for further research and assessment.