United Nations Organizations/Agencies
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Objectives
Membership
Activities
Environment Canada's Involvement
Recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, WMO
(http://www.wmo.ch) and UNEP
(http://www.unep.org) established the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. The role of the IPCC is to assess the scientific,
technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced
climate change. It does not carry out new research nor does it monitor climate related data. It bases
its assessment mainly on published and peer reviewed scientific technical literature.
The IPCC is open to all members of UNEP and WMO. All of its work is funded entirely by the voluntary
contributions of its member nations and other international organizations, including the Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The IPCC has three working groups:
Working Group I (http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/)
assesses the scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change;
Working Group II (http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/index.html)
addresses the vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate
change, negative and positive consequences of climate change, and options for
adapting to it; and
Working Group III (http://arch.rivm.nl/env/int/ipcc/)
assesses options for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and otherwise mitigating
climate change.
The Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/)
is responsible for the IPCC National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme.
The Panel meets in plenary sessions about once a year. It accepts and approves IPCC reports, decides
the mandates and work plans of the working groups, the structure and outlines of reports, the IPCC
Principles and Procedures, and the budget. It also elects the IPCC chairperson and the Bureau.
The First Assessment Report in 1990 played an important role in establishing
the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a UNFCCC by the UN General
Assembly. The UNFCCC was adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994. It
provides the overall policy framework for addressing the climate change issue.
IPCC's Second Assessment Report, Climate Change 1995, provided key input to
the negotiations which led to the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
The Third Assessment Report (http://www.ipcc.ch/activity/tar.htm)
was a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the policy-relevant scientific,
technical, and socio-economic dimensions of climate change. It made advances
from earlier assessments by paying greater attention to the regional scale,
and includes non-English literature to the extent possible.
The IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report is in its final stages of preparation
and is due for release in 2007.
The IPCC also prepares special reports and technical papers on topics where
independent scientific information and advice are deemed necessary and it
supports the UNFCCC through its work on methodologies for National Greenhouse
Gas Inventories. The Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage
(http://www.ipcc.ch/activity/srccs/index.htm) was approved in September 2005 and the Special
Report on Safeguarding the Ozone Layer and the Global Climate System
(http://www.ipcc.ch/activity/sroc/index.htm)
was approved in April 2005.
It is important to ensure that the IPCC continue to provide scientific, technical
and socio-economic advice to the world community, and in particular to the
170-plus Parties to the UNFCCC through its periodic assessment reports on the
state of knowledge of causes of climate change, its potential impacts and options
for response strategies. Environment Canada is a strong supporter of, and an
active participant in, the IPCC. Dr. John Stone (Environment Canada, retired),
holds a position on the Bureau and Working Group II, Impacts, Adaptation
and Vulnerability. Art Jaques, Director, Greenhouse Gas Division, Environment
Canada, is a member of the Task Force Bureau on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
As well, over 30 Canadian scientists from government, universities and the
private sector are participating as authors and editors for the IPCC's Fourth
Assessment Report. Their efforts are partially supported by Canada's "Climate
Change Action Fund," and their participation coordinated through the Atmospheric
Science Assessment and Integration Division, Environment Canada.
http://www.ipcc.ch
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