IPCC Report Summary for Policymakers

A warming globe will disrupt food supplies, retard world economic growth and may already be causing irreversible damage to our natural systems, according to the latest study from the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC approved the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of its third contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) on mitigation of climate change. Human-generated emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are continuing to rise to unprecedented levels, according to the report, that underscores the inadequacy of existing efforts to curb emissions.

The 12^th Session of the IPCC Working Group III and 29^th session of the IPCC took place in Berlin, Germany from April 7-12. Working Group III convened to approve the SPM and to accept the underlying assessment of scientific literature. The report outlines technological and behavioural changes that can limit the increase in global average temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius, the point at which science demonstrates that climate impacts begin to overwhelm human coping efforts.   

Citing data that global greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise at an accelerated rate, the report notes that only major institutional and technological change will result in a better than even chance that the warming trend will not exceed this 2 degree threshold. This report maintains the clear and consistent message of the IPCC over the past two decades and was bluntly summarized by the Panel’s chair Rajendra Pachauri: “The high-speed mitigation train needs to leave the station very soon and all of global society needs to get on board. 

The Working Group III Report consists of the SPM, a more detailed Technical Summary, an underlying 16 chapters, and three annexes. Working Group III chapter teams were formed by 235 authors and 38 review editors from 57 countries, and 180 experts provided additional input as contributing authors. More than 800 experts reviewed drafts of the report and submitted comments. 

By the numbers:

• Summary length: 44 pages
• Length of original report: 500 pages
• Expert authors: 831 (310 specifically tasked with the 3^rd instalment)
• # of nationalities represented: 73
• Developing country and Economy-in-transition authors: 127 (41%)
• Female authors: 83 (27%)
• Authors new to the IPCC: 187 (60%)
• Writing: 4 Rounds
• Reviews: 3 rounds
• Review comments: 52,000 review comments and then vetted for government

 

This is the last of the IPCC reports that will be issued in advance of the next UN Climate Summit in Paris in December 2015 where a vital and binding global agreement on climate change will be negotiated.

 

About the UNFCCC

With 195 Parties, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 192 of the UNFCCC Parties. For the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialized countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. In Doha in 2012, the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol adopted an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which establishes the second commitment period under the Protocol. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system.