The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific intergovernmental body responsible for assessing information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change.
Background of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the body consists of 195 Member States.
The IPCC assesses all aspects related to the physical science of climate change and its impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation.
The IPCC's stated objective is to "provide comprehensive scientific assessments of current scientific, technical, and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, potential environmental and socio-economic impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation."
It follows up and contributes to the work undertaken over decades by UNEP, WMO, and other bodies at the national, regional, or international levels.
What Does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Do?
The primary responsibility of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.
As such, the organization prepares assessment reports, special reports, and methodology reports written by hundreds of authors and experts. The reports provide policymakers with the information to respond to climate change accordingly.
IPCC assessment reports undergo a lengthy and complex review process, involving hundreds of expert reviewers and government representatives.
Working Groups and Task Force of the IPCC
The IPCC is divided into three Working Groups and a Task Force.
The three Working Groups are tasked to complete assessment reports that are meant to serve as a basis for climate policy.
On the other hand, the Task Force aims to develop a methodology for assessing greenhouse gas inventories with the chief end to monitor the progress in achieving the national greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets.
Working Group I
Working Group I is responsible for the physical science basis of climate change. It emphasizes projections of future climate changes and impacts.
WG I assesses scientific topics such as greenhouse gases and aerosols, their abundances and properties in the atmosphere; changes in radiation balance; processes and mechanisms involved in climate variability and change; and interactions among the climate system components and paleoclimate.
As such, WG I is responsible for producing assessment reports that provide information relevant to understanding the natural physical processes in Earth's climate system. It also studies how human activities affect Earth's energy balance and atmospheric composition.
In turn, the output of WG I relates to the assessment of WG II concerning adaptation and mitigation issues.
WG I's assessment on carbon emissions, links between climate and air quality, and the potential of alternative energy sources also inform the work of WG III.
Working Group II
Working Group II is responsible for assessing impacts, vulnerability, and adaptation to climate change. It also looks into options for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and other changes in Earth's use of land.
As such, WG II emphasizes the regional aspects of climate change through its assessment reports.
In addition to natural systems, these reports also assess how human society has been affected by a changing climate and how to reduce those impacts.
To accomplish this objective, WG II produces technical reports on methods for projecting future climate change and regional global warming impacts, and taking action against global warming.
Working Group III
The objective for Working Group III is to compile information on mitigation measures, including technological and behavioral options that could be part of a cost-effective strategy for mitigating climate change.
It identifies how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on socio-economic assessment, projects the potential impacts of climate policy, and examines policy instruments for reducing GHG emissions.
Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI)
Instrumental to the continuity of the IPCC, the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories is an organization in its own right.
The TFI was established in 1998 by the IPCC to oversee the work of the Technical Support Unit on GHG inventories.
The TFI is responsible for organizing workshops, assessing peer-reviewed publications, performing technical reviews of IPCC reports, and overseeing activities related to national greenhouse gas inventory guidelines.
The objectives of TFI are:
- To develop and refine an internationally-agreed methodology and software for the calculation and reporting of national GHG emissions and removals; and
- To encourage the widespread use of this methodology by countries participating in the IPCC and signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports
The IPCC prepares detailed assessment reports about specific topics relevant to understanding climate change. The reports also comprehensively tackle the causes and effects of climate change and the solutions to global warming.
Special reports, which are generally a study of specific issues relative to climate change, are also prepared by the IPCC.
Methodology reports provide information on the IPCC processes, principles, and procedures. These reports also lay out the practical guidelines for the preparation of greenhouse gas inventories and the IPCC's response strategies.
All these reports undergo a rigorous review process to ensure that the data and information are reliable and accurate.
Preparation of Reports
The preparation of IPCC reports begins with the outline preparation by experts nominated by the governments of the participating countries.
The experts turn the outline over to a panel that approves it and forwards it to authors who produce the technical chapters. Several reviews and revisions by a plenary meeting of experts follow this process.
This involves exchanges and negotiations between experts until they produce an acceptable draft report. The final step of the preparation process is the work panel’s approval and acceptance of the report before publication.
Following this procedure ensures consensus on significant issues before appearing in IPCC reports. This also helps ensure that reports are authoritative since they represent broad agreement among scientists and shared views expressed by many nations.
The Bottom Line
Climate change is a serious environmental issue that the whole world should note. The IPCC reflects this sentiment by bridging policymakers and scientists to address climate change issues.
The organization's role primarily involves assessing and examining the risks of climate change and suggesting possible solutions and mitigation strategies.
It also considers the magnitude of greenhouse gas emissions based on socio-economic assessments. It projects the potential impacts of climate policies and examines policy instruments for reducing GHG emissions.
The IPCC is also instrumental in ensuring that all reports are peer-reviewed to ensure that the data and conclusion are reliable.
FAQs
1. What is the IPCC?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body that evaluates information relevant to climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) established the IPCC.
2. What does the IPCC do?
The purpose of the IPCC is to assess information relevant to climate change through rigorous peer-review processes to inform decision-makers about appropriate responses to global warming.
Three working groups do the assessments: Working Group I focuses on assessing physical scientific aspects of climate change; Working Group II assesses the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change; Working Group III assesses options for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
3. What is the IPCC's role?
The IPCC bridges the gap between scientific information and policymaking. As a result, the organization must inform policymakers about appropriate responses to climate change issues. It does this by assessing and examining the risks of climate change and suggesting possible solutions and mitigation strategies. It also assesses the magnitude of greenhouse gas emissions based on socio-economic assessment, projecting the potential impacts of climate policies and examining policy instruments for reducing GHG emissions.
4. How effectively does IPCC use the assessment process?
IPCC follows a standard procedure to assess all possible risks associated with climate change on the environment, socio-economic aspects of various nations, and human health. The process uses peer-reviewed scientific literature to compile accurate data analyzed in its reports.
5. Are IPCC assessments credible?
All information published by IPCC undergoes rigorous review by scientists who are selected based upon their expertise in relevant fields. A panel of experts has scrutinized all evidence included in its reports, making them very credible.
