GENEVA, Aug 29 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that news articles have appeared citing a draft of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC).
The IPCC will consider the report from 20 to 23 September 2019 in Monaco, where it will examine the Summary for Policymakers of the report line by line. This process typically leads to further changes in the Summary for Policymakers.
Draft reports are provided as working documents for the approval session. They are not intended for public distribution, and must not be quoted or cited, because the text can change between the drafts and the final version once the IPCC has carefully considered every line. As with any work in progress, it is important to respect the authors and give them the time and space to finish writing before making the work public.
Drafts of the report are collective works in progress that do not necessarily represent the IPCC’s final assessment of the state of knowledge. According to the IPCC procedures, reports are made available to the public after their Summary for Policymakers has been approved and the underlying report accepted. The IPCC does not comment on draft reports while work is ongoing.
The agreed outline of the report can be found at: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/04/Decision_Outline_SR_Oceans.pdf
Subject to approval, a press conference to present the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate will be held on 25 September in Monaco. The press conference will be streamed live. Details on how to access it were sent in this media advisory. The SROCC Summary for Policymakers, press release and any other press materials will be made available to registered media under embargo shortly after completion of the approval process, expected on 23 September.
The latest draft of the report was circulated to governments for comment on the Summary for Policymakers between 14 June and 9 August 2019. News articles also appeared after a draft of the report was circulated to governments and expert reviewers between 16 November 2018 and 11 January 2019.
Journalists or others seeking context or background information can contact Maike Nicolai, Communications Manager, IPCC Working Group II Technical Support Unit, or Jonathan Lynn, Head of Communications, IPCC.
For more information contact:
IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int Twitter: @IPCC_CH
Jonathan Lynn, +41 22 730 8066 or Werani Zabula, +41 22 730 8120
IPCC Working Group II Technical Support Unit:
Maike Nicolai, +49 471 4831 2445, maike.nicolai@ipc-wg2.awi.de
Notes for editors
About SROCC
For the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) about 130 scientists from more than 37 countries are assessing the physical processes and impacts of climate change on ocean, coastal, polar and mountain ecosystems. It also assesses consequences for human communities and options for people to adapt to climate-related changes for a more sustainable future. SROCC is being prepared under the joint scientific leadership of IPCC Working Groups I and II, and supported by the WG III Technical Support Unit. The report references more than 7,000 scientific publications.
The word “cryosphere” – from the Greek kryos, meaning cold or ice – describes the frozen components of the Earth system, including snow, glaciers, ice sheets and ice shelves, icebergs and sea ice, ice on lakes and rivers as well as permafrost and seasonally frozen ground.
About the IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. In the same year the UN General Assembly endorsed the action by the WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC. It has 195 member states.
IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency.
The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to tell policymakers what we know and don’t know about the risks related to climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences of opinion, and where further research is needed. It does not conduct its own research.
To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds.
The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I, dealing with the physical science basis of climate change; Working Group II, dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group III, dealing with the mitigation of climate change. It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for measuring emissions and removals. All of these are supported by Technical Support Units guiding the production of IPCC assessment reports and other products.
IPCC Assessment Reports consist of contributions from each of the three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Special Reports undertake an assessment of cross-disciplinary issues that span more than one working group and are shorter and more focused than the main assessments.
About the Sixth Assessment Cycle
At its 41st Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). At its 42nd Session in October 2015 it elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle. At its 43rd Session in April 2016, it decided to produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report and AR6.
In October 2018 the IPCC finalized the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC. In May 2019 it released the Methodology Report 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. In August 2019 the IPCC released the Special Report on Climate Change and Land.
The three Working Groups’ contributions to the Sixth Assessment Report will be finalized in 2021. A Synthesis Report will complete the AR6 cycle in early 2022, integrating all the Working Group contributions and the findings of the three special reports.
For more information go to www.ipcc.ch
Registration deadline extended to 23 September 2019
GENEVA, Aug 14 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will consider the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) on 20-23 September 2019 during its 51st Session to be held in the Principality of Monaco. The report is due to be launched on 25 September 2019.
The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate assesses physical processes and impacts of climate change on ocean, coastal, polar and mountain ecosystems. It also assesses consequences for human communities and options for people to adapt to climate-related changes for a more sustainable future.
The word “cryosphere” – from the Greek kryos, meaning cold or ice – describes the frozen components of the Earth system, including snow, glaciers, ice sheets and ice shelves, icebergs and sea ice, ice on lakes and rivers as well as permafrost and seasonally frozen ground.
Formally, the draft Summary for Policymakers (SPM) will be considered by the Second Joint Session of IPCC Working Groups I and II. The outcome of the Working Group Session is then submitted to the 51st Session of the IPCC for acceptance.
This advisory explains how media can register for the Opening Ceremony, the press conference and embargoed materials. The registration deadline is 6 p.m. Friday, 13 September 2019, Geneva time (CEST). Further information will be provided soon about the live stream of the press conference, submission of interview requests, options for broadcasters and access to video footage.
Press conference
A press conference to present the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere will be held after the 51st Session of the IPCC, subject to approval of the Summary for Policymakers.
When: 11:00 a.m. CEST (Monaco) on Wednesday 25 September 2019
(05.00 EDT (New York), 09:00 GMT, 10:00 BST (London), 12:00 EAT (Nairobi), 16:00 ICT (Bangkok))
Where: Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
Avenue Saint-Martin, Monaco
IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, Vice-Chair Ko Barrett, and the Co-Chairs of IPCC Working Groups I and II of the IPCC – Valérie Masson-Delmotte (France), Hans-Otto Pörtner (Germany), Debra Roberts (South Africa) and Panmao Zhai (China) – will present key aspects of the Special Report and respond to questions from journalists attending the press conference on site or remotely.
The press conference will be streamed live. Details on how to access the live stream and ask questions online will be sent closer to the time.
The IPCC Chair, Vice-Chair, Co-Chairs and authors of the Special Report will be available for interviews after the press conference. Interviews can be conducted in person, on the phone or online. Details on how media can request interviews will be sent in the coming weeks.
Please follow the instructions below to register for the press conference (“How to register”).
Opening Ceremony
The 51st Session of the IPCC will be opened by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, and by senior officials from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
When: 10:00 a.m. (CEST) on Friday 20 September 2019
Where: Grimaldi Forum, Salle Prince Pierre
10 Avenue Princesse Grace, Monaco
The Opening Ceremony is open to the media. A limited number of places are available for journalists and priority will be given to wire services and local media. Apart from the Opening Ceremony, the IPCC meeting is closed to the public and media.
Please follow the instructions below to register for the Opening Ceremony (“How to register”).
Embargoed materials
The Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, the press release and additional materials will be made available under embargo to registered media shortly after the approval of the Summary for Policymakers.
Media representatives who would like to have access to these embargoed materials are requested to check the option for “embargo” on the online registration form. Please note that registering for the Opening Ceremony and/or the press conference does not automatically provide you with access to embargoed materials.
The embargo will run until the start of the press conference. Registered media will receive an email alert when the embargoed materials are posted. The exact time at which the embargoed materials are made available will depend on the time the plenary approves the Summary for Policymakers and accepts the underlying report.
Registering for access to embargoed materials will require media representatives to agree to adhere to the terms of the embargo. Journalists or media outlets who fail to adhere to the terms and conditions will be excluded from future embargo arrangements.
How to register
The IPCC operates its own registration and accreditation system. Registration is required to attend the press conference and/or opening ceremony in person, and/or to access embargoed materials. It is not necessary to register to follow the live stream of the press conference and ask questions online.
Please check the IPCC accreditation and registration FAQs for detailed instructions at http://bit.ly/ipcc-media-accreditation-FAQs
To attend the press conference and/or the opening ceremony in person and/or get access to embargoed materials, please register on the IPCC website here:
https://apps.ipcc.ch/eventmanager/press/register.php
Please ensure that you have scanned copies of your credentials ready when you start filling in the form, as the system will not allow you to proceed without uploading these. You can upload up to two files in JPG, PNG and PDF formats.
The required credentials are:
Before filling in the form, please carefully read the guidelines below, which need to be followed by all users, including media representatives who have used the system before.
On the IPCC media portal, follow the following steps:
If you complete this process successfully a pop-up window will confirm your submission. The IPCC media team will then review your credentials.
When you are registered to attend the Opening Ceremony and/or the press conference, you will receive a confirmation email with a document that you are required to bring with you to pick up your badge at the media desk in Monaco. If you request access to the embargoed materials, the email you receive will have credentials to use to log into the system. To access the system you will need to agree to respect the terms of the embargo.
Please note that due to the high number of requests, approval of registration might take a number of days. Please avoid asking the IPCC for confirmation during that period. Please email the IPCC media team at ipcc-media@wmo.int if you have not received confirmation or credentials after one week.
If you have used the system before, the email that you receive will indicate that you should use “Your global IPCC password”, which refers to your previous password. In case you have lost it, please click “Forgot password” on the IPCC media registration page.
The deadline for registration is 6 p.m. Geneva time (CEST), Friday 13 September 2019. We encourage you to register as soon as possible and not leave it to the last minute as the IPCC has limited capacity to deal with late or last-minute requests. The IPCC cannot guarantee that it will be able to review requests submitted after the deadline.
Embargoed materials are primarily for the use of media covering the report, but access may be extended to relevant bodies preparing communications activities and materials to coincide with the release of the report, such as institutions with authors working on the report. Similarly to media representatives, these institutions will be required to agree to respect the terms of the embargo when registering and when accessing materials.
Registration details
Each member of a media team should register separately using a different email address in order to obtain access to the Opening Ceremony, the press conference and/or the embargoed materials. If you work as a photographer or as part of a TV crew you are asked to indicate this on the letter of assignment so that the IPCC can plan sufficient space. Please also state any special requirements, e.g. for TV crews.
There is very limited space for satellite trucks and wireless broadcasting is preferred due to space limitations. If you need space for this, please let us know on your letter of assignment. The deadline for these requests is 13 September 2019.
In order to get access to the opening ceremony and press conference venue, you will need to pick up your press badge. The desk will be open at the following times (CEST):
To facilitate the process, please bring with you the original credentials that you submitted with your request and your passport or a valid ID, as well as the confirmation document. We advise you to pick up your badges as early as possible and not wait until the last minute.
Other arrangements
The IPCC will advise how to request interviews both in person at the site of the press conference and by phone or online, how to access the live stream of the press conference and options for broadcasters.
Video footage from the Opening Ceremony and press conference will be provided online. Details will be shared in a further media advisory nearer the time.
For more information contact:
IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int
Jonathan Lynn, + 41 22 730 8066, Werani Zabula, + 41 22 730 8120, Nina Peeva, + 41 22 730 8142
Notes for Editors
About the IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, and to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. It has 195 member states. In the same year the UN General Assembly endorsed the action by WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC.
IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency.
The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to inform policymakers about the state of knowledge on climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences and where further research is needed. It does not conduct its own research.
To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds. Only a dozen permanent staff work in the IPCC’s Secretariat.
The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I (the physical science basis of climate change); Working Group II (impacts, adaptation and vulnerability); and Working Group III (mitigation of climate change). It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for estimating emissions and removals. All of these are supported by Technical Support Units guiding the production of IPCC assessment reports and other products.
IPCC Assessment Reports consist of contributions from each of the three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Special Reports undertake a shorter assessment of specific cross-disciplinary issues that usually span more than one working group.
About the Sixth Assessment Cycle
At its 41st Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). At its 42nd Session in October 2015 it elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle.
The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was released in October 2018. The Methodology Report 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories was released in May 2019. The Special Report on Climate Change and Land was released on 8 August 2019.
The three Working Group contributions to the AR6 will be finalized in 2021 and the AR6 Synthesis Report will be completed in the first half of 2022.
For more information go to www.ipcc.ch
The Technical Support Unit of the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI TSU) wishes to recruit an expert in the LULUCF issues of the AFOLU (Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use) sector for the position of Programme Officer in the TFI TSU. The Programme Officer of the TFI TSU will be employed by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) which hosts the TFI TSU. Therefore the IGES will contract the successful candidate on behalf of the TFI TSU. This will be a fixed term appointment from early 2020, as soon as possible, to 30 June 2022.
More details on how to apply are here: https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/tsu/tsu-vacancy.html
GENEVA, Aug 8 – Land is already under growing human pressure and climate change is adding to these pressures. At the same time, keeping global warming to well below 2ºC can be achieved only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors including land and food, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its latest report on Thursday.
The IPCC, the world body for assessing the state of scientific knowledge related to climate change, its impacts and potential future risks, and possible response options, saw the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) approved by the world’s governments on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.
It will be a key scientific input into forthcoming climate and environment negotiations, such as the Conference of the Parties of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14) in New Delhi, India in September and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile, in December.
“Governments challenged the IPCC to take the first ever comprehensive look at the whole land-climate system. We did this through many contributions from experts and governments worldwide. This is the first time in IPCC report history that a majority of authors – 53% – are from developing countries,” said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC.
This report shows that better land management can contribute to tackling climate change, but is not the only solution. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors is essential if global warming is to be kept to well below 2ºC, if not 1.5oC.
In 2015, governments backed the Paris Agreement goal of strengthening the global response to climate change by holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5ºC.
Land must remain productive to maintain food security as the population increases and the negative impacts of climate change on vegetation increase. This means there are limits to the contribution of land to addressing climate change, for instance through the cultivation of energy crops and afforestation. It also takes time for trees and soils to store carbon effectively. Bioenergy needs to be carefully managed to avoid risks to food security, biodiversity and land degradation. Desirable outcomes will depend on locally appropriate policies and governance systems.
Land is a critical resource
Climate Change and Land finds that the world is best placed to tackle climate change when there is an overall focus on sustainability.
“Land plays an important role in the climate system,” said Jim Skea, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III.
“Agriculture, forestry and other types of land use account for 23% of human greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time natural land processes absorb carbon dioxide equivalent to almost a third of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry,” he said.
The report shows how managing land resources sustainably can help address climate change, said Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.
“Land already in use could feed the world in a changing climate and provide biomass for renewable energy, but early, far-reaching action across several areas is required” he said. “Also for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity.”
Desertification and land degradation
When land is degraded, it becomes less productive, restricting what can be grown and reducing the soil’s ability to absorb carbon. This exacerbates climate change, while climate change in turn exacerbates land degradation in many different ways.
“The choices we make about sustainable land management can help reduce and in some cases reverse these adverse impacts,” said Kiyoto Tanabe, Co-Chair of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
“In a future with more intensive rainfall the risk of soil erosion on croplands increases, and sustainable land management is a way to protect communities from the detrimental impacts of this soil erosion and landslides. However there are limits to what can be done, so in other cases degradation might be irreversible,” he said.
Roughly 500 million people live in areas that experience desertification. Drylands and areas that experience desertification are also more vulnerable to climate change and extreme events including drought, heatwaves, and dust storms, with an increasing global population providing further pressure.
The report sets out options to tackle land degradation, and prevent or adapt to further climate change. It also examines potential impacts from different levels of global warming.
“New knowledge shows an increase in risks from dryland water scarcity, fire damage, permafrost degradation and food system instability, even for global warming of around 1.5°C,” said Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.
“Very high risks related to permafrost degradation and food system instability are identified at 2°C of global warming,” she said.
Food security
Coordinated action to address climate change can simultaneously improve land, food security and nutrition, and help to end hunger. The report highlights that climate change is affecting all four pillars of food security: availability (yield and production), access (prices and ability to obtain food), utilization (nutrition and cooking), and stability (disruptions to availability).
“Food security will be increasingly affected by future climate change through yield declines – especially in the tropics – increased prices, reduced nutrient quality, and supply chain disruptions,” said Priyadarshi Shukla, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III.
“We will see different effects in different countries, but there will be more drastic impacts on low-income countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean,” he said.
The report records that about one third of food produced is lost or wasted. Causes of food loss and waste differ substantially between developed and developing countries, as well as between regions. Reducing this loss and waste would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve food security.
“Some dietary choices require more land and water, and cause more emissions of heat-trapping gases than others,” said Debra Roberts, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II.
“Balanced diets featuring plant-based foods, such as coarse grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, and animal-sourced food produced sustainably in low greenhouse gas emission systems, present major opportunities for adaptation to and limiting climate change,” she said.
The report finds that there are ways to manage risks and reduce vulnerabilities in land and the food system.
Risk management can enhance communities’ resilience to extreme events, which has an impact on food systems.. This can be the result of dietary changes or ensuring a variety of crops to prevent further land degradation and increase resilience to extreme or varying weather.
Reducing inequalities, improving incomes, and ensuring equitable access to food so that some regions (where land cannot provide adequate food) are not disadvantaged, are other ways to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. There are also methods to manage and share risks, some of which are already available, such as early warning systems.
An overall focus on sustainability coupled with early action offers the best chances to tackle climate change. This would entail low population growth and reduced inequalities, improved nutrition and lower food waste.
This could enable a more resilient food system and make more land available for bioenergy, while still protecting forests and natural ecosystems. However, without early action in these areas, more land would be required for bioenergy, leading to challenging decisions about future land-use and food security.
“Policies that support sustainable land management, ensure the supply of food for vulnerable populations, and keep carbon in the ground while reducing greenhouse gas emissions are important,” said Eduardo Calvo, Co-Chair of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
Land and climate change responses
Policies that are outside the land and energy domains, such as on transport and environment , can also make a critical difference to tackling climate change. Acting early is more cost-effective as it avoids losses.
“There are things we are already doing. We are using technologies and good practices, but they do need to be scaled up and used in other suitable places that they are not being used in now,” said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.
“There is real potential here through more sustainable land use, reducing over-consumption and waste of food, eliminating the clearing and burning of forests, preventing over-harvesting of fuelwood, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thus helping to address land related climate change issues,” he said.
About the Report
The report’s full name is Climate Change and Land, an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.
It is one of three special reports that the IPCC is preparing during the current Sixth Assessment Report cycle.
The report was prepared under the scientific leadership of all three IPCC Working Groups in cooperation with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and supported by the Working Group III Technical Support Unit.
For more information, contact:
IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int
Werani Zabula, + 41 22 730 8120, Nina Peeva, + 41 22 730 8142
IPCC Working Group III Technical Support Unit:
Sigourney Luz, +44 20 7594 7377
Follow IPCC on Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram
Notes for editors
Special Report on Climate Change and Land
Climate Change and Land is the second in a series of Special Reports to be produced in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Cycle. The report was prepared under the joint scientific leadership of all three IPCC Working Groups in cooperation with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, with support from the Working Group III Technical Support Unit.
The Summary for Policymakers presents the key findings of the Special Report, based on the assessment of the available scientific, technical and socio-economic literature relevant to climate change and land.
The Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) is available at https://ipcc.ch/report/srccl. A Fact Sheet and Headline Statements are available at www.ipcc.ch.
Key statistics of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land
The report was prepared by 107 experts from 52 countries who acted as:
This is the first IPCC report in which a majority of the authors (53%) are from developing countries. Women account for 40% of the Coordinating Lead Authors.
The author team drew on the contributions of 96 Contributing Authors; included over 7,000 cited references in the report; and considered a total of 28,275 expert and government review comments (First Order Draft 10,401; Second Order Draft 14,831; Final Government Draft: 3,043).
What is the IPCC?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. In the same year, the UN General Assembly endorsed the action by the WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC. It has 195 member states.
IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency.
The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to tell policymakers what we know and don’t know about the risks related to climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences of opinion, and where further research is needed. It does not conduct its own research.
To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds. Only a dozen permanent staff work in the IPCC’s Secretariat.
The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I, dealing with the physical science basis of climate change; Working Group II, dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group III, dealing with the mitigation of climate change. It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for estimating emissions and removals.
IPCC Assessment Reports consist of contributions from each of the three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Special Reports undertake an assessment of cross-disciplinary issues that span more than one working group and are shorter and more focused than the main assessments.
Sixth Assessment Cycle
At its 41st Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). At its 42nd Session in October 2015 it elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle. At its 43rd Session in April 2016, it decided to produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report and AR6.
The IPCC decided at its 43rd session in Nairobi, Kenya (11-13 April 2016) to prepare the report after member states and observer organizations were asked to submit views on potential themes for Special Reports during the current Sixth Assessment Report cycle. Nine clusters were considered on different themes, including land, cities, and oceans. The Special Report on Climate Change and Land represents the second largest cluster and covers 7 proposals from member states and observer organizations that related to land.
Last year the IPCC released the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, which looked at global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change. In September 2019 the IPCC will release the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.
It delivered a Methodology Report, the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, in May 2019. The 2019 Refinement provides an updated scientific basis for supporting the preparation of national greenhouse gas inventories. Over 280 scientists and experts worked on the 2019 Refinement to produce many changes to the general guidance as well as methodologies for four sectors: energy; industrial processes and product use; agriculture, forestry and other land use; and waste.
The AR6 Synthesis Report will be finalized in the first half of 2022, following the three working group contributions to AR6 in 2021.
The IPCC will prepare a special report on climate change and cities in the next assessment cycle. All reports in the current cycle include a stronger integration of the assessment on the impacts of climate change on cities and their unique adaptation and mitigation opportunities.
For more information, including links to the IPCC reports, go to: www.ipcc.ch
GENEVA, Aug 7 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will be holding a press conference at 10.00 am (Geneva time) on Thursday 8 August 2019, to present the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land, subject to approval.
This corresponds to 04.00, New York; 08.00 GMT; 09.00 London; 11.00 Nairobi and 17.00 Tokyo.
The press conference will be webcast in English and can be followed remotely the IPCC Facebook Page.
This information will also be posted on our social media channels on the day of the press conference.
Media following the press conference can send questions via Slido using event code SRCCL. To submit questions.
Open www.sli.do
Please note that because of limited time, it may not be possible to answer all questions that are submitted.
Information about booking interviews with IPCC authors is available here
Details about arrangements for broadcaster are here
A factsheet on the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) is available here
For more information, contact:
IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int
Werani Zabula +41 730 8120 or Nina Peeva +41 730 8142
Notes for editors
About the SRCCL
For the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change (SRCCL), more than 100 scientists from 52 countries are assessing the latest scientific knowledge about climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. Their interlinkages as well as synergies, trade-offs and integrated response options will be presented. The SRCCL is being prepared under the joint scientific leadership of Working Groups I, II, III and the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, and supported by the WG III Technical Support Unit.
About the IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. It has 195 member states.
IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency.
The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to tell policymakers what we know and don’t know about the risks related to climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences of opinion, and where further research is needed. It does not conduct its own research.
To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds.
The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I, dealing with the physical science basis of climate change; Working Group II, dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group III, dealing with the mitigation of climate change. It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for measuring emissions and removals. All of these are supported by Technical Support Units guiding the production of IPCC assessment reports and other products.
IPCC Assessment Reports consist of contributions from each of the three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Special Reports undertake an assessment of cross-disciplinary issues that span more than one working group and are shorter and more focused than the main assessments.
About the Sixth Assessment Cycle
At its 41st Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). At its 42nd Session in October 2015 it elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle. At its 43rd Session in April 2016, it decided to produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report and AR6.
In October 2018 the IPCC finalized the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC. In May 2019 it released the Methodology Report 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
Besides Climate Change and Land, the IPCC will release the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) in September 2019, subject to approval.
The three Working Groups’ contributions to the Sixth Assessment Report will be finalized in 2021. A Synthesis Report will complete the AR6 cycle in early 2022, integrating all the Working Group contributions and the findings of the three special reports.
For more information go to www.ipcc.ch
GENEVA, Aug 2 – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) opened a meeting on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, to consider its latest assessment, the Special Report on Climate Change and Land.
The report, to be released on 8 August 2019, subject to approval by the Panel, explores how the way we use our land contributes to climate change and how climate change affects our land.
“I hope this report will raise awareness among all people about the threats and opportunities posed by climate change to the land we live on and which feeds us,” said IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee.
Besides exploring the impact of climate change on land, the report also assesses how land management can contribute to addressing climate change and how this interacts with food security.
The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, published in 2014, found that agriculture, forestry and other land use was the source of 24% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.
“This report addresses all three UN Rio conventions – climate, biodiversity and desertification – and thus our report recognizes the nexus of these global challenges and demonstrates the broad policy relevance of the IPCC’s work,” said IPCC Chair Lee.
The full title of the report is Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. It is the first IPCC report in which a majority of the authors are from developing countries.
The report is being prepared under the scientific leadership of all three IPCC Working Groups, in consultation with the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and with technical support from the Working Group III Technical Support Unit.
For more information contact:
IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int
Werani Zabula +41 22 730 8120 or Nina Peeva +41 22 730 8142
Mobile: +41 79 704 2459
Notes for Editors
About the IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, and to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. It has 195 member states.
IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency.
The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to inform policymakers about the state of knowledge on climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences and where further research is needed. It does not conduct its own research.
To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds. Only a dozen permanent staff work in the IPCC’s Secretariat.
The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I (the physical science basis of climate change); Working Group II (impacts, adaptation and vulnerability); and Working Group III (mitigation of climate change). It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for measuring emissions and removals. All of these are supported by Technical Support Units guiding the production of IPCC assessment reports and other products.
IPCC Assessment Reports consist of contributions from each of the three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Special Reports undertake a shorter assessment of specific cross-disciplinary issues that usually span more than one working group.
About the Sixth Assessment Cycle
At its 41st Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). At its 42nd Session in October 2015 it elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle.
The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was released in October 2018. The Methodology Report 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories was adopted and accepted in May 2019.
Besides the Special Report on Climate Change and Land, the IPCC is working on the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, which will be considered by the Panel at its 51st Session scheduled for 20 – 23 September 2019 in the Principality of Monaco.
The three Working Group contributions to the AR6 will be finalized in 2021 and the AR6 Synthesis Report will be completed in the first half of 2022.
For more information go to www.ipcc.ch