Activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC)

Mannava Sivakumar

Acting Secretary of the IPCC

17 March 2016

Presentation

• Role and Structure of IPCC

• IPCC Working Groups, Task Force and Technical Support Units

• IPCC Activities, Products and Achievements

• Themes referring to Soils in AR5 Working Group Reports

• IPCC Expert Meeting on Climate Change, Food, and Agriculture

• Outcomes of IPCC Assessment Reports

• Contribution of Experts from Different Countries to IPCC Reports

• Paris Agreement and IPCC

Establishment of IPCC

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC) is the leading international

body for the assessment of climate

change. It was established by the United

Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

and the World Meteorological

Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide

the world with a clear scientific view on

the current state of knowledge in climate

change and its potential environmental

and socio-economic impacts.

• In the same year, the UN General

Assembly endorsed the action by WMO

and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC.

• As an intergovernmental body,

membership of the IPCC is open to all

member countries of the United Nations(UN) and WMO.

The Role of the IPCC (1)

“… 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.”

Principles Governing IPCC Work, paragraph 2

Source: http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/ipcc-principles/ipcc-principles.pdf

The Role of the IPCC (2)

“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.”

Principles Governing IPCC Work, paragraph 2

Source: http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/ipcc-principles/ipcc-principles.pdf

The Role of the IPCC (3)

IPCC does not undertake new research, nor does it monitor climate-related data,

instead, it conducts assessments of knowledge on the basis of published and peer-

reviewed scientific and technical literature.

Principles Governing IPCC Work, paragraph 2

Source: http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/ipcc-principles/ipcc-principles.pdf

Structure of IPCC

• UN parent organizations

• Intergovernmental

Panel

(195 member States)

• International scientists

and experts

IPCC Bureau

The purpose of the IPCC Bureau is to provide guidance to the Panel on the scientific and

technical aspects of its work, to advise on related management and strategic issues, and to

take decisions on specific issues within its mandate, in accordance with the Principles

governing IPCC Work.

Composition of the IPCC Bureau

The IPCC Bureau consists of:

• IPCC Chair

• IPCC Vice Chairs

• Co-Chairs of the three Working Groups

• Co-Chairs of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories

• Members of the Working Group Bureaus.

The Bureau is chaired by the IPCC Chair.

Its work is supported by the IPCC Secretariat.

IPCC Executive Committee

The purpose of the IPCC Executive Committee is to strengthen and facilitate timely and

effective implementation of the IPCC Programme of Work in accordance with the IPCC

Principles and Procedures, and the decisions of the Panel and advice of the Bureau.

Composition of IPCC Executive Committee

The Composition of the Executive Committee is as follows:

• IPCC Chair (who will chair the Executive Committee)

• IPCC Co-Chairs of Working Groups I, II and III and of the Task Force on Inventories

• IPCC Vice Chairs

Advisory Members:

• Head of Secretariat

• The four Heads of the Technical Support Units

IPCC Working Groups and Task Force

Working Group I

addresses the

physical science

basis of climate

change

Working Group II

addresses

climate change

impacts,

adaptation and

vulnerability

Working Group III

addresses options

for limiting

greenhouse gas

emissions and

mitigating climate

change

Cross Working Group

Collaboration (e.g.

SREX)

The Task Force on

National Greenhouse

Gas Inventories (TFI)

oversees the IPCC

National GHG

Inventories Programme

IPCC Technical Support Units

IPCC Technical Support Units (TSUs) provide scientific, technical and organisational

support to their respective IPCC Working Groups (WGs) and the Task Force on

National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI). A TSU may be formed to support the

preparation of a Synthesis Report or any other Task Force constituted by the Panel.

Activities, Products, Achievements

IPCC Reports

Five assessment reports (1990, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2013-14)

Activities, Products, Achievements

IPCC Reports

Five assessment reports (1990, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2013-14)

1992 supplementary report and 1994 special report

Activities, Products, Achievements

IPCC Reports

Five assessment reports (1990, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2013-14)

1992 supplementary report and 1994 special report

Nine special reports (1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2012)

Activities, Products, Achievements

IPCC Reports

Five assessment reports (1990, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2013-14)

1992 supplementary report and 1994 special report

Nine special reports (1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2012)

Guidelines for national GHG inventories, good practice

guidance (1995, 2006, 2013)

Activities, Products, Achievements

IPCC Reports

Five assessment reports (1990, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2013-14)

1992 supplementary report and 1994 special report

Nine special reports (1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2012)

Guidelines for national GHG inventories, good practice

guidance (1995, 2006, 2013)

Six technical papers (1996-2008)

Significant Progress made in Understanding Climate

Change since 1990 – WG I Reports

The reports are getting more comprehensive

414pp

588pp

882pp

1007pp

1552pp

Themes referring to Soils in AR 5 WG I ReportChapter 6: Carbon and other geochemical cycles

6.3.1 Carbon dioxide emissions and their fate since 1750: Land Use Change Activities

Chapter 7: Clouds and Aerosols: 7.2.31 Aerosol Sources

Chapter 8: Anthropogenic and Natural Radiative Forcing:

8.2.3.3 Methane

8.2.3.4 Nitrous Oxide: Anthropogenic emissions represent around 30-45% of the present day global

total, and are mostly from agricultural and soil sources. Natural emissions come mostly from

microbial activity in the soil.

8.3.5 Land Surface Changes: Land cover changes; Surface Albedo and Radiative Forcing; Other

impacts of Land Cover Change on the Earth’s Albedo; Impacts of Surface Change on Climate

8.6.2 .1 Regional Forcing Changes During the Industrial Era: Reference to Soil Dust

8.6.2.2 Relationship between Regional Forcing Patterns and Climate Response during the

Industrial Era: Albedo changes due to land use and land cover changes

Working Group II AR4 => AR5

414pp

588pp

882pp

1007pp

1552pp

987pp

1846pp

Themes referring to Soils in AR 5 WG II Report

Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects

Chapter 4: Terrestrial and Inland Water Systems

4.2.4 Multiple Stressors Interacting with Climate Change

4.2.4.1 Land Use and Cover Change

4.3.2 Observed and Projected Change in the Ecosystems

4.3.3 Impacts on and Risks for Major Systems

4.3.3.1 Forests and Woodlands

4.3.3.2 Dryland Ecosystems

4.3.3.3 Rivers, Lakes, Wetlands and Peatlands

4.3.3.4 Tundra, Alpine, and Permafrost Systems

4.4 Adaptation and Its Limits

4.4.2.1 Reduction of Non-Climate Stresses and Restoration of Degraded Ecosystems

4.4.2.2 The Size, Location, and Layout of Protected Areas

4.4.2.3 Landscape and Watershed Management

Themes referring to Soils in AR 5 WG II Report

Part A: Global and Sectoral Aspects (2)

Chapter 5: Coastal Systems and Low Lying Areas

5.4 Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Risks

5.4.2 Natural Systems

5.4.2.1 Beaches, Barriers and Sand Dunes

5.4.2.2 Rocky Coasts

5.4.2.3 Wetlands and Seagrass Beds

5.4.2.7 Deltas

5.4.3 Human Systems

5.4.3.1 Human Settlements

5.4.3.3 Fisheries, Aquaculture and Agriculture

Chapter 7: Food Security and Food Production Systems

7.3 Assessing Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Risks

7.3.4 Sensitivity of Land Use to Weather and Climate

7.5 Adaptation and Managing Risks in Agriculture and Other Food System Activities

Chapter 9: Rural Areas

9.3 Assessing Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Risks

9.3.1 Current and Future Economic, Social and Landuse Trends in Rural Areas

Chapter 19: Emergent Risks and Key Vulnerabilities

19.3.2 Examples of Emergent Risks : Risks involving Non-Climate Stressors: Management of Land

Themes referring to Soils in AR 5 WG II Report

Part B: Regional Aspects

Chapter 21: Regional Context

Chapter 22: Africa

Chapter 23: Europe

Chapter 24: Asia

Chapter 25: Australia

Chapter 26: North America

Chapter 27: Central and South America

Chapter 28: Polar Regions

Chapter 29: Small Islands

AR 5 WG III Report

Themes referring to Soils in AR 5 WG III Report

Mitigation of Climate Change

Chapter 11: Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU)

11.2 New Developments in Emission Trends and Drivers

11.2.2 Trends of GHG fluxes from Forestry and Other Land Use

11.4 Infrastructure and Systemic Perspectives

11.4.1 Land: a complex, integrated system

11.4.2 Mitigation in AFOLU – feedbacks with land-use competition

11.4.3 Demand-side options for reducing GHG emissions from AFOLU

11.4.4 Feedbacks of changes in land demand

11.5 Climate Change Feedback and Interaction with Adaptation (includes vulnerability)

11.5.1 Feebacks between AFOLU and climate change

11.5.2 Implications of climate change on terrestrial carbon pools and mitigation potential of forests

11.5.3 Implications of climate change on peatlands, grasslands and croplands

11.5.4 Potential adaptation options to minimize the impact of climate change on carbon stocks in forests and

agricultural soils

11.6 Costs and potentials

11.6.2 Global estimates of costs and potentials in the AFOLU sector

11.6.3 Regional disaggregation of global costs and potentials in the AFOLU sector

11.9.2 Implications of transformation pathways for the AFOLU sector

Outcomes relevant to Soils from the

IPCC Expert Meeting on Climate Change, Food, and Agriculture

The topics below emerged in discussions of outlines for possible future IPCC products or efforts in the

scientific community:

- Direct and indirect links between climate change, climate change responses, and food security

- Managing fundamental limits: land and water resources

- Competition for land and water: food vs. other uses

- Policies

Important gaps in knowledge discussed during the meeting include the following:

- Quantification of mitigation potential in the AFOLU and energy sectors, including role of greenhouse gas

metric

- Implications of biomass-based mitigation options for potential land and water competition, surface

albedo, and non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions

- Integrated regional assessments, linking bottom-up and top-down approaches

- Integration of food and land-use trade-offs and co-benefits in integrated assessment modeling

- Characterizing adaptation and mitigation interactions, co-benefits, and trade-offs across scales

- Direct and indirect consequences of policies affecting land use, supply-demand interactions, and

international trade.

Other IPCC Publications

Special Reports (SRs) and Methodology Reports: Are prepared to provide an authoritative scientific/technical

assessment or guidance on any topic, which is not adequately covered in assessment reports

Technical Papers and Supporting Material: TPs are produced from IPCC reports to provide tailored

scientific/technical perspective on a particular topic; SM consists of published reports and proceedings from

workshops and expert meetings within the scope of IPCC work programme

Outcomes of the First Four Assessment Reports

• FAR (1990) – led to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC).

• SAR (1995) – input for Kyoto Protocol which set targets for 37 industrialized

countries to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions based on the principles of

the UNFCCC.

• TAR (2001) – focused attention on impacts of climate change and need for

adaptation

• AR4 (2007) – input for decision on 2ºC limit; basis for post Kyoto Protocol

agreement

Nobel Peace Prize to IPCC in 2007

AR5 Synthesis Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr.

were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

"for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made

climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to

counteract such change".

Assessment of the Contribution of

Experts from Different Countries to

IPCC Reports

Climate Change Publications assessed in IPCC Work

Source: Fig. 1 – AR5 WGII Technical Summary

• The overall

number of

climate change

publications

assessed in

IPCC work has

significantly

increased,

which allows

for more

comprehensive

assessments

Contributions to IPCC AR5 WGI (Physical science basis of climate change)

Authors, Review Editors and Expert Reviewers

• A total of about 798 contributors

• The highest contribution is from Europe and

North America

Region I (1%)

Region II (12%)

Region III (2%)

Region IV (35%)

Region V (6%)

Region VI (44%)

Contributions to IPCC AR5 WGII (climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability)

AR5: Authors, Review Editors and Expert Reviewers

• About 825 contributors

• The highest contribution is from Europe and

North America

Region I (4%)

Region II (11%)

Region III (3%)

Region IV (37%)

Region V (9%)

Region VI (37%)

Contributions to IPCC AR5 WGIII (Mitigation of Climate Change)

Authors, Review Editors and Expert Reviewers

• About 733 contributors

• The highest contribution is from Europe and

North America

Region I (4%)

Region II (18%)

Region III (4%)

Region IV (33%)

Region V (4%)

Region VI (38%)

Summary Statistics of Contributions by Experts to AR5

• Total number of Coordinating Lead Authors, Authors and Reviewers: + 830

• Total number of countries represented on writing teams: upto 85

• Experts from developing countries and economies-in-transition: 301 (36%)

• Female writing team members: 179 (21%)

• Writing team members new to IPCC Process: 529 (63%)

• Regional distribution (AR5 authors by WMO Region): 8% from Africa; 16% from Asia;

6% from South America; 28% from North America, Central America and Caribbean; 7%

from Southwest Pacific; and 34% from Europe.

Decision of the 41st Session of the IPCC

February 2015, Nairobi, Kenya

The Panel agreed that a number of additional measures would be suitable to attract qualified

experts from developing countries and enhance and facilitate their engagement with the

IPCC, including the following:

• Further encourage Co-Chairs and other Bureau members to engage experts from

developing countries in TSUs, author teams and as reviewers. Increasing training for

TSUs and author teams will help ensure effective participation by all authors

• Increase the number of IPCC activities in developing countries

• Arrange briefings and training sessions for government representatives e.g. before

sessions of the IPCC.

• In the context of communication and outreach activities, to provide experts with

information about the IPCC process and how they can participate in IPCC work.

Examples of promoting Science, Policy and Societal Interactions for

Implementing National Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change

• UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP, 2005), which has operated at the boundary of

science, policy and society since 1997. The success of UKCIP can partly be ascribed to

the capacity to redefine itself in response to changing circumstances.

• The Danish Information Centre on adaptation, established under the Danish NAS and co-

ordinated by the ministry of Climate and Energy, has the objective to provide access to

scientific information on adaptation, policy strategies, news items and frequently asked

questions and is an entry point for citizens, businesses and municipalities.

• In Finland, the ‘Climate Change Community Response Portal’ (CCCRP) guides potential

users of climate information to the most relevant scientific information and, similar to the

UKCIP website, includes tools and wizards to assist local and regional governments and

individuals.

Paris Agreement and IPCC

• At the Paris climate conference

(COP21) in December 2015, 195

countries adopted the historic, legally

binding global climate deal.

• Some decisions of COP-21 and CMP-

11 and conclusions of SBSTA-43

mention the IPCC explicitly

• Several other decisions of COP-21

may have implicit relevance to the

work of the IPCC

Paris Agreement

• The agreement aims at putting the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by

limiting global warming to well below 2°C.

• The agreement is due to enter into force in 2020.

Governments agreed:

• Holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-

industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above

pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and

impacts of climate change;

• On the need for global emissions to peak as soon as possible, recognising that this will

take longer for developing countries;

• To undertake rapid reductions thereafter in accordance with the best available science.

Opportunities for Contributing: Towards AR6

IPCC Scholarship Programme for Ph.D Students from Developing

Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition

• To provide scholarships for PhD students from developing countries and

countries with Economies in Transition to undertake research that advances

the understanding of climate change preferably in their own country

• 35 students have been offered scholarships since 2011 (1st round of awards)

• Should go back to their native countries after finishing to work in their

countries

2007: IPCC was awarded

the Nobel Peace Prize IPCC established with the funds received

Thank you