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Negotiations on IPCC report: Blockage in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Some countries are requesting more time for the next IPCC assessment report. This means that the common basis for UN climate summits is in danger of being lost. more...
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A few weeks before the next UN climate conference, the largest scientific climate body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is in crisis. IPCC chief Jim Skea was left on Monday only to appeal to reason and a willingness to compromise: it was “crucial” to find a consensus, he said. The schedule and budget for further work are in question.
The IPCC is an intergovernmental body that regularly summarizes the state of scientific research on climate change for policy makers. Several hundred authors are involved in these status reports and evaluate tens of thousands of studies. The IPCC reports repeatedly make clear the urgency of climate policy measures. The next one is expected to produce particularly alarming results because of the climate policy rollback.
On Friday, talks in Addis Ababa failed about this status report, which the majority of the 195 member states want to be available for the UN climate summit in 2028. However, a group of states including Saudi Arabia, India, China and Russia said more time was needed to incorporate findings and data from developing countries. She wants to postpone the publication to 2029.
The states in this group rely heavily on fossil fuels and have also stood out as blockers at UN summits. In Addis Ababa they delayed for so long that neither a timetable nor a financial framework could be decided because delegations, especially from smaller nations particularly affected by climate change, had to leave on time.
On Monday, 117 researchers working in 36 countries - including India and China - published an open letter. “We have no time to lose,” it says. The next global inventory of global warming is planned for the climate summit in 2028. This should not take place without an IPCC basis. At the same time, the signatories emphasize that the reports will be prepared “in an inclusive manner” and that they are committed to “fully taking into account the knowledge, experiences and priorities of each region”. (with afp)