Thursday, 14 April 2016, 12.30
At UN Complex, Gigiri, Press Centre
Featuring:Dr. Hoesung Lee - Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
Dr. Youba Sokona - Vice Chair of the IPCC
Debra Roberts - IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair
Dr. Mannava Sivakumar - Acting Secretary of the IPCC
Nairobi, 11 April 2016 - As a record-breaking 130 countries prepare to sign the historic Paris climate change deal next week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is holding its 43rd Session in Nairobi, on 11-13 April 2016.
Among other issues, the Panel will discuss the schedule for its flagship Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which tells policymakers what the scientific community knows about the mechanisms of climate change, its impacts and risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Written by over 800 scientists from 80 countries, and assessing over 30,000 scientific papers, the most recent Assessment Report - the AR5 - has helped to inform the decisions taken during the historic Climate Conference in Paris.
The Panel's meeting in Nairobi will also consider producing a number of Special Reports, including a study requested by the Paris Agreement on the feasibility of a 1.5°C climate change trajectory and research papers on cities, forests, land use, human health and food security, among others.
The full agenda of the Panel Session and other relevant documents can be found here: http://ipcc.ch/scripts/_session_template.php?page=_43ipcc.htm
Security Clearance and Access to the UN Journalists wishing to participate are requested to confirm attendance by email to UNEP News & Media at unepnewsdesk@unep.org by Wednesday, 13 April 2016 at noon. Journalists are requested to bring a copy of their press card and an identification card/passport. The press conference will be webcast live at: https://www.youtube.com/user/IPCCGeneva https://www.youtube.com/user/IPCCGeneva For more information, please contact: IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int Werani Zabula, +41 22 730 8120 or +41 79 704 2459 (in Nairobi) Notes to editors About the IPCC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the world body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly, to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
The IPCC does not do its own research, conduct climate measurements or produce its own climate models; it 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.
Thus the IPCC offers policymakers a snapshot of what the scientific community understands about climate change rather than promoting a particular view. IPCC reports are policy-relevant without being policy-prescriptive. The IPCC may set out options for policymakers to choose from in pursuit of goals decided by policymakers, but it does not tell governments what to do.
To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists who - like the Chair and other elected officials - work as volunteers. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds. They are not paid for their work at the IPCC. Only a dozen permanent staff work in the IPCC's Secretariat.
The members of the IPCC, comprising the Panel, are its 195 member governments. They work by consensus to endorse the reports of the IPCC and set its procedures and budget in plenary meetings of the Panel. The word "Intergovernmental" in the organization's name reflects this. It is not a United Nations agency, but is sponsored by two UN organizations - WMO and UNEP.
IPCC reports are requested by the member governments and developed by authors drawn from the scientific community in an extensive process of repeated drafting and review. Scientists and other experts participate in this review process through a self-declaration of expertise. The Panel endorses these reports in a dialogue between the governments that request the reports and will work with them and the scientists that write them. In this discussion the scientists have the last word on any additions or changes, although the Panel may agree by consensus to remove something.
The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee exists to strengthen and facilitate timely and effective implementation of the IPCC work programme, strengthen coordination between IPCC Working Groups and the Task Force and address issues that require prompt attention by the Panel in between its Sessions. Its members are the IPCC Chair, IPCC Vice-Chairs, Working Group Co-Chairs and the Co-Chairs of the Task Force on Greenhouse Gas Inventories. The Secretary of the IPCC and the Heads of the Technical Support Units are advisory members to the Executive Committee.
For more information go to http://ipcc.ch/pdf/tor/TOR_ExComm.pdf. Sixth Assessment Report
The Panel during its meeting in Nairobi in February 2015 decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report. In October 2015 the Panel elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle. The 43rd Session of the IPCC on 11-13 April 2016 is when the Panel will set out the work programme for the Sixth Assessment Cycle.
For more information, including links to the IPCC reports, go to: http://www.ipcc.ch/
