Climate experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and beyond have released a pivotal report that takes stock of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and assesses the path forward.
As the world turns its attention to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan, the report follows a comprehensive workshop, where academics, researchers and other invitees met to discuss how the IPCC – now in its 36th year – might evolve for the next assessment and reporting cycle.
UEA in a “unique position”
These proposals come as the IPCC starts work on the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), due in late 2029.
Through its Assessment Reports (ARs), the IPCC provides information which governments and international organisations use to develop climate policies. Each report takes several years to complete and involves hundreds of scientists from all over the world, who review and report on tens of thousands of research papers.
UEA has played a unique role in the IPCC, making a continuous contribution from the First Assessment Report (AR) through to the most recent AR.
Prof Rachel Warren, Professor of Global Change and Environmental Biology at UEA, says:
“UEA is among the universities that have made the most substantial and sustained contribution to the IPCC across disciplines. We are in a unique position to make recommendations that we hope will help strengthen the IPCC process.”
Two major themes emerge
The UEA report presents a summary of the ideas and discussions held during the workshop in Norwich in July 2023.
Two major themes emerged during the workshop, focusing on:
- The need for a greater diversity of ideas and approaches to support inclusivity, transparency and the acceleration of climate change action; and
- Enhancement of working modalities and of the usability of reports.
It was noted that as the IPCC’s role is to assess the literature, academics will continue to play a crucial role in addressing knowledge gaps, improving research practices, fostering discussions, and enhancing the relevance and transparency of research for policymakers.
