About IPCC
Mandate
The IPCC was established to provide the decision-makers
and others interested in climate change with an
objective source of information about climate change.
The IPCC does not conduct any research nor does it
monitor climate related data or parameters. Its role is
to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and
transparent basis the latest scientific, technical and
socio-economic literature produced worldwide relevant to
the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate
change, its observed and projected impacts and options
for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC reports should be
neutral with respect to policy, although they need to
deal objectively with policy relevant scientific,
technical and socio economic factors. They should be of
high scientific and technical standards, and aim to
reflect a range of views, expertise and wide
geographical coverage.
Who We
Are ?
The IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body set up
by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and by
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its
constituency is made of :
-
The governments: the
IPCC is open to all member countries of WMO and UNEP.
Governments of participate in plenary Sessions of
the IPCC where main decisions about the IPCC work
programme are taken and reports are accepted,
adopted and approved. They also participate the
review of IPCC Reports.
-
The scientists: hundreds
of scientists all over the world contribute to the
work of the IPCC as authors, contributors and
reviewers.
-
The people: as United
Nations body, the IPCC work aims at the promotion of
the United Nations human development goals
Why
The IPCC Was Created ?
Climate change is a very complex issue: policymakers
need an objective source of information about the causes
of climate change, its potential environmental and
socio-economic consequences and the adaptation and
mitigation options to respond to it. This is why WMO and
UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) in 1988.
The IPCC is a scientific body: the information it
provides with its reports is based on scientific
evidence and reflects existing viewpoints within the
scientific community. The comprehensiveness of the
scientific content is achieved through contributions
from experts in all regions of the world and all
relevant disciplines including, where appropriately
documented, industry literature and traditional
practices, and a two stage review process by experts and
governments.
Because of its intergovernmental nature, the IPCC is
able to provide scientific technical and socio-economic
information in a policy-relevant but policy neutral way
to decision makers. When governments accept the IPCC
reports and approve their Summary for Policymakers, they
acknowledge the legitimacy of their scientific content.
The IPCC provides its reports at regular intervals and
they immediately become standard works of reference,
widely used by policymakers, experts and students. The
findings of the first IPCC Assessment Report of 1990
played a decisive role in leading to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which
was opened for signature in the Rio de Janeiro Summit in
1992 and entered into force in 1994. It provides the
overall policy framework for addressing the climate
change issue. The IPCC Second Assessment Report of 1995
provided key input for the negotiations of the Kyoto
Protocol in 1997 and the Third Assessment Report of 2001
as well as Special and Methodology Reports provided
further information relevant for the development of the
UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The IPCC continues to be
a major source of information for the negotiations under
the UNFCCC.
Here
is a brochure describing the history of the IPCC,
major achievements and its relationship with the UNFCCC,
prepared on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the
UNFCCC in the year 2004.
10th Anniversary brochure
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How is the IPCC organized ?
As an
intergovernmental body the IPCC is open to all member countries of
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP). Its activities are guided by the
mandate given to it by its parent organizations WMO and UNEP and
governed by principles agreed by the Panel. The work programme of
the IPCC is decided by the Panel in plenary Sessions.
The Panel
and its Sessions
The Panel
meets approximately once a year at the plenary level of Government
representatives. These Sessions are attended by hundreds of
officials and experts from relevant ministries, agencies and
research institutions from member countries and from participating
organizations. Major decisions such as the election of the IPCC
Chair, IPCC Bureau and the Task Force Bureau, the structure and
mandate of IPCC Working Groups and Task Forces, as well as on
procedural matters, work-plan and budget are taken by the Panel in
plenary Session. The Panel decides also on scope and outline of IPCC
reports and accepts the reports. The IPCC Secretariat, which is
located at WMO headquarters, plans, oversees and manages all IPCC
activities.
The IPCC
Working Groups and Task Forces
The IPCC has
currently 3 Working Groups and the Task Force on National Greenhouse
Gas Inventories. The Working Groups and the Task Force have clearly
defined mandates as agreed by the Panel and their activities are
guided by two Co-chairs each. They are assisted by a Technical
Support Unit and the Working Group or Task Force Bureau. Working
Group 1 deals with "The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change",
Working Group 2 with "Climate Change Impact, Adaptation and
Vulnerability" and Working Group 3 with "Mitigation of Climate
Change". The main objective of the Task Force is to develop and
refine a methodology for the calculation and reporting of national
GHG emissions and removals. In addition to the Working Groups and
Task Force, further Task Groups and Steering Groups may be
established for a limited or longer duration to consider a specific
topic or question.
IPCC Trust
Fund
IPCC
activities, in particular the participation of developing country
experts in the IPCC work, and publication and translation of IPCC
reports are supported by the IPCC Trust Fund to which Governments,
provide voluntary contributions. Governments provide further
substantial support for activities of the IPCC, in particular
through hosting Technical Support Units, supporting the
participation of experts in IPCC activities, organizing meetings and
contributing to translations. WMO, UNEP and the UNFCCC provide also
financial support. WMO hosts the IPCC Secretariat and WMO and UNEP
provide one staff member each for the IPCC Secretariat.
IPCC
Principles and Procedures
Principles
Governing IPCC Work
Full
text
Appendix A :
Procedures
for the Preparation, Review, Acceptance, Adoption, Approval and
Publication of IPCC Reports
Appendix B :
Financial
Procedures for the IPCC
Appendix C :
Rules
of Procedures for the Election of the IPCC Bureau and Any Task Force
Bureau
Policy
and Process for Admitting Observer Organizations
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The IPCC Bureau and the Task Force Bureau (TFB)
Members of the IPCC Bureau are normally
elected for the duration of the preparation of an IPCC Assessment
Report (5-6 years). They should be experts in the field of climate
change and all regions should be represented in the IPCC Bureau. The
Bureau is chaired by the Chair of the IPCC and is composed of the
Co-Chairs of the three IPCC Working Groups and the Task Force Bureau
on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, IPCC Vice-Chairs and
Vice-Chairs of the Working Groups. Presently the IPCC Bureau is
composed of 30 members.
The Bureau
of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFB)
oversees the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme. It is
composed of two Co-chairs, which are also members of the IPCC
Bureau, and 12 members.
Click here for current composition of the IPCC Bureau and the
TFB
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Task Force on National
Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI)
The Task Force on National Greenhouse
Gas Inventories (TFI) was established by the IPCC to oversee the
IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme (IPCC-NGGIP)
The objectives of the IPCC-NGGIP
are:
-
To develop and refine an
internationally-agreed methodology and software
for the calculation and reporting of national GHG emissions
and removals; and
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To encourage the widespread use of this
methodology by countries
participating in the IPCC and by signatories of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Activities under the NGGIP are normally undertaken in response
to an invitation by the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC
and are aimed to meet the inventory reporting requirements of
Parties to the UNFCCC. Several Methodology Reports have been
prepared, including "Good Practice Guidance and
Uncertainly Management in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories"
(2000), "Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land Use Change
and Forestry" (2003) and most recently the "2006 IPCC Guidelines
for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories".
The NGGIP develops software for
inventory preparation and supports training and capacity
building activities for the application of the IPCC
methodologies and guidelines.
The NGGIP also
established und maintains an Emission Factor Database,
where users can find emissions factors and other parameters with
background documentation or technical references to be used for
estimating greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Before the establishment of the Task
Force, methodological work for the preparation of national
greenhouse inventories was carried out under IPCC Working Group
I in close collaboration with the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Energy
Agency (IEA).
It latest Report “2006 IPCC Guidelines
for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories” is available online in the
official UN languages and can be obtained from the IPCC Secretariat
and Technical Support Unit.
The activities of the program are guided
by a Task Force Bureau (TFB) with two co-chairs, at present
Mr. Takehiro Hiraishi (Japan) and Ms. Thelma Krug (Brazil).
The Technical Support Unit (TSU) is
hosted by Japan at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
(IGES).
TSU
Head: Dr. Simon Eggleston
For more
information please visit the TSU page:
http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/
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Other IPCC Activities
Task Group
on Data and Scenario Support for Impacts and Climate Analysis (TGICA)
The Task
Group on Data and Scenario Support for Impacts and Climate Analysis
(TGICA) aims to facilitate wide availability of climate change
related data and scenarios for climate analysis and impacts,
adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation research. The TGICA does
not develop itself any emission, climate, or other types of
scenarios, nor does it make any decisions regarding the choice of
scenarios in the preparation of the IPCC reports. It does not
undertake any modeling or research.
The Task
Group, previously called Task Group on Scenarios for Climate and
Impacts Assessment (TGCIA), was established to facilitate
co-operation between the climate modeling and climate impacts
assessment communities.
One of the
main activities of the TGICA is the coordination and oversight of
the IPCC Data Distribution Centre (DDC), which
provides consistent data sets
such as results from climate change experiments, i.e. data from
global climate models (GCMs) produced by different modeling centers,
observed climate datasets, observed environmental data including
concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and socio-economic
scenario information. The information available on the DDC is
accompanied by documentation and guidance material on how the
climate scenarios and baseline data can be used in impacts and
adaptation assessments.
The Task
Group is composed of experts in climatology; climate modeling;
physical, social, and economic impacts; adaptation; emissions
scenarios; and integrated assessment. It is at present co-chaired by
Mr. Jose Marengo (Brazil) and Mr. Richard Moss (USA).
TGICA
mandate
Membership
DDC - closed site for TGICA members
Further
Work of the IPCC on Scenarios
Several
workshops and expert meetings have been held in the past few years
to consider the issue of future scenarios. The IPCC expressed the
need for new emission scenarios, to be available well before
completion of a possible AR5, while recognizing that the development
of scenarios would be undertaken by the scientific community. The
IPCC may catalyze such work so as to promote its readiness in time
for the AR5 cycle. In order to identify the facilitation or
coordination role the IPCC may play in this context, as well as
deliverable, organization and timeline the IPCC at its 24th Session
(Montreal, September 2005) set up a Task Group for a limited period
of time.
Following
the recommendations of the Task Group the IPCC at its 25th Session
(Mauritius, April 2006) agreed that it is desirable that the
following elements be addressed in the development of new scenarios:
-
Consistency between scenarios used for studying climate change,
climate change impacts and adaptation and mitigation
-
Comparability of scenarios by using comparable definitions and
assumptions
-
Transparency and openness of the development process
-
Substantive involvement of experts from developing countries and
economies in transition in the scenario development process
To this end
the Panel agreed to convene an expert meeting (19-22 September 2007
in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands) to consider :
-
The
desirable and feasible characteristics of emissions scenarios
including those characteristics listed below
-
Information exchange on plans for developing scenarios and
coordinating activities among the scientific community
-
The
enhancement of developing country/EIT involvement in scenario
development
-
Relevant
issues for the future assessment of scenarios
In order to
allow climate modelers a quick start with their work after the
completion of the AR4, the Expert meeting is also tasked to prepare
a few benchmark concentration scenarios which should be compatible
with the full range of stabilization, mitigation and baseline
emission scenarios available in the current scientific literature.
All relevant
subject expertise and disciplines will be invited to this meeting
including representatives of organizations such as the World Bank,
FAO, OECD, IEA, WMO and UNEP. To facilitate coordination among and
by the scenario development groups, the Chair of IPCC wrote a letter
to the groups involved in the development of scenarios inviting them
to provide information on their plans and activities relevant to
scenario development and on any effort to coordinate scenario
development activities.
A short
report of that meeting will be presented to the Panel at its 27th
Session (Valencia, November 2007). A detailed meeting report will be
available in 2008.
For more information, please visit WG3
website:
http://arch.rivm.nl/env/int/ipcc/
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IPCC Glossary
Glossary of Terms used in the
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
WG1
|
WG2 |
WG3
Glossary of Terms used in the
IPCC Third Assessment Report
Arabic
|
Chinese |
English |
French |
Spanish |
Russian
Climate
change : a glossary by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (1995)
Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and
Russia
