Global scientists call for IPCC’s reform

International experts have suggested that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should replace ‘blockbuster’ reports with more frequent and targeted studies to address specific issues.

According to some scientists and governments, the IPCC should consider ending the publication of big assessment reports every six or seven years and start producing more frequent analysis on specific problems or about certain regions.

The panel of leading UN scientists will release its fifth assessment report this month – where it is believed it will be said that scientists are 95% that humans are causing global warming – and it will later discuss its future development in Georgia.

IPCC spokesman Jonathan Lynn said the body will try to reform itself in October.

“What sort or products should the IPCC be producing, over what kind of time scale? Do we need this blockbuster report every six or seven years or do we need more frequent reports? That is the sort of thing that is going to be discussed there”, he said.

Many experts have called for a change as they feel that science over climate change is not in discussion anymore and scientists have reached a consensus on it. Therefore the IPCC should start focusing more on how climate challenges should be addressed and how these can affect determined areas of the world.

Andrew Weaver, a lead IPCC author told the Guardian, “It would be healthy for the IPCC to focus on regional impacts and to focus on individual phenomena rather than the big global thing. The way to go forward would be to pick an issue and to work together in an interdisciplinary way”.

Further reading:

Governments must see ‘scientific realities of inaction’ on climate change, says IPCC chief

Cooler Pacific temperatures explain slowdown in global warming

Climate scientists ‘95% sure’ that global warming in manmade, says leaked IPCC document

97% of scientists agree that climate change is human caused

The Guide to Climate Change 2013