Busan, October 14 2010 – In its recent plenary session concluded today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) decided to strengthen a number of its processes and procedures. These changes will improve the way the IPCC works and how it is governed, and benefit the central objective of ensuring the best assessment of climate science.
New York, August 30 2010 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change welcomed the findings today of an independent review of its processes and procedures by the InterAcademy Council, the respected umbrella group for various national academies of science from countries around the world.
The world of climate science lost one of its greatest minds and strongest voices on July 19 with the death of Steve Schneider. Steve, who was 65, was a major contributor to the IPCC and one of its fiercest supporters. He was looking forward with enthusiasm to serving as a coordinating lead author for the Fifth Assessment Report.
Geneva, 5 July 2010 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said today that the findings from “Assessing an IPCC assessment” a review by the Dutch government confirmed the most important conclusions of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) published by the IPCC in 2007 and provided recommendations for making future reports more useful and robust.
Geneva, 23 June 2010 – The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) announces today the release of the final list of selected Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors. This unique team of 831 climate change experts will dedicate almost four years to the three Working Group Reports of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) to be published between 2013 and 2014. These experts will also provide contributions to the Synthesis Report to be published in 2014.
Geneva, 24 March 2010 – We are pleased to announce the completion of the nomination process for the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), scheduled for completion in 2013-2014, will be the next comprehensive assessment of all aspects of climate change by the IPCC. Over 3000 experts were nominated by IPCC national Focal Points or Observer Organizations.
Geneva, March 10 2010 – The United Nations Secretary General and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced today that they asked the InterAcademy Council (IAC) to conduct an independent review of the IPCC’s processes and procedures to further strengthen the quality of the Panel’s reports on climate change. The IAC is the umbrella organization for various national academies of science from countries around the world.
Geneva, 27 February 2010 – The IPCC strives to ensure that its procedures for use of published material in the preparation of its assessment reports are followed in all respects. But we recognize the criticism that has been leveled at us and the need to respond. While embarking on the preparation of its Fifth Assessment Report it was the intention of the IPCC that an independent committee of distinguished experts evaluate means by which IPCC procedures must be implemented fully and that they should also examine any changes in procedure that may be required. The proposal to set up such an independent committee was conveyed to governments by the IPCC Secretariat in a communication dated Tuesday 16 February.
Geneva, 4 February 2010 – The IPCC is an intergovernmental body sponsored by UNEP and WMO. The main decision-making body is the “Panel” which meets at regular intervals in plenary sessions at the level of government representatives of all 194 IPCC member countries. Its role as defined in the “Principles Governing IPCC Work” is “to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC reports should be neutral with respect to policy, although they may need to deal objectively with scientific, technical and socio-economic factors relevant to the application of particular policies. Review is an essential part of the IPCC process. Since the IPCC is an intergovernmental body, review of IPCC documents should involve both peer review by experts and review by governments.”
Geneva, 2 February 2010 – The IPCC is a unique partnership between the scientific community and the world’s governments. Its goal is to provide policy- relevant but not policy-prescriptive information on key aspects of climate change, including the physical science basis, impacts of and vulnerability to climate change in human and natural systems, options for adapting to the climate changes that cannot be avoided, and options for mitigation to avoid climate change. The IPCC relies on a combination of broad participation, rigorous oversight, and transparent, thorough adherence to carefully designed procedures to produce assessment reports that have become, over the last 20 years, the international gold standard in the scientific assessment of climate change. Any such human endeavour can never be completely errorfree, but IPCC assessments are as close to this goal as the international community of scientists and governments can accomplish. The members of the IPCC (who are the world’s national governments), its elected leadership, and the thousands of scientists who contribute to each report are continually working to improve all aspects of future reports.