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What is the IPCC?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) brings together hundreds of the world’s leading scientists to study the impact of human activities on the Earth’s climate, the associated environmental consequences of climate change, the socioeconomic impacts and implications, and response strategies. The Panel actively conveys its findings to policy-makers through its Assessment Reports.
Established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the IPCC is open to all members of the UN and WMO. Its scientific reports are prepared by the world’s leading scientists and subjected to extensive peer and public review. IPCC’s Summaries for Policymakers are jointly agreed to by the scientific lead authors and the participating nations (typically well over 100 of the UN’s member states). Over the course of its three assessments, the IPCC reports have been unanimously agreed upon by the more than 150 countries involved, and later endorsed by the academies of science of all the major nations.
On February 2, 2007, the IPCC released the summary of Working Group I of the Fourth Assessment Report.
IPCC 2007 timeline
Working Group I: The Physical Science Basis
- Full Report and Summary for Policymakers
- February 2, 2007, Paris, France
Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
- Full Report and Summary for Policymakers
- April 6, 2007, Brussels, Belgium
Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change
- Full Report and Summary for Policymakers
- May 4, 2007, Bangkok, Thailand
The Synthesis Report
- Review by governments and experts:
- May 21 - July 12, 2007
- Adoption and approval at the 27th Session of the IPCC:
- November 12-16, 2007, Valencia, Spain