Media reports on the draft IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C

The IPCC has recently circulated the Second Order Draft for expert and government review of the report, whose full title is Global Warming of 1.5°C: an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty.

Draft reports are provided to reviewers as working documents. They are not intended for public distribution, and must not be quoted or cited for the following reasons:

– Firstly, the text can change substantially between the Second Order Draft and the final version once the report’s authors have carefully considered every individual government and expert review comment. For instance, the First Order Draft of this report received 12,895 comments from nearly 500 expert reviewers. Like any work in progress, it is important to respect the authors and give them the time and space to finish writing before making the work public.

– Secondly, the Second Order Draft is based on scientific literature published or submitted for publication before 1 November 2017. Newly published scientific evidence highlighted by reviewers can still be taken into account between the Second Order Draft and the final version of the report, as long as it is accepted for publication in a journal before 15 May 2018.

Drafts of the report are, therefore, collective works in progress that do not necessarily represent the IPCC’s final assessment of the state of knowledge.

The IPCC is committed to an open, robust and transparent assessment process. In each stage of review, the Working Groups actively seek the collaboration of researchers and practitioners across a broad range of expertise. As with the normal practice of peer review, this process is designed to make the report more accurate, comprehensive and objective.

The IPCC does not comment on the contents of draft reports while work is ongoing. Journalists or others seeking context or background information can contact Roz Pidcock, Head of Communications, IPCC Working Group I Technical Support Unit, or Jonathan Lynn, Head of Communications, IPCC, below.

The review period for the Second Order draft of the Special Report on 1.5ºC will run from 8 January to 25 February 2018. The IPCC is due to approve the Summary for Policymakers of the report in the first week of October 2018, and looks forward to presenting and discussing the findings on 8 October.

For more information, contact:
IPCC Press Office, Email: ipcc-media@wmo.int @IPCC_CH
Jonathan Lynn, +41 22 730 8066 or Werani Zabula, +41 22 730 8120

IPCC Working Group I Technical Support Unit:
Roz Pidcock, +44 7746 515669 roz@ipcc-wg1.fr @RozPidcock

Follow IPCC on  Facebook, Twitter @ipcc_ch, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Notes for editors

The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC is being prepared in response to an invitation from the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2015 and will inform the Talanoa Dialogue. Officially launched last month at COP23 and due to begin in January 2018, the Talanoa Dialogue will take stock of the collective efforts of Parties in relation to progress towards the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement, and to inform the preparation of nationally determined contributions. You can see the approved outline of the Special Report on 1.5°C or find more details on the report page. The report is being prepared under the joint scientific leadership of all three IPCC Working Groups, with support from the Working Group I Technical Support Unit.

What is the IPCC?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. It has 195 member states.

IPCC assessments provide governments, at all levels, with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC assessments are a key input into the international negotiations to tackle climate change. IPCC reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency.

The IPCC assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to tell policymakers what we know and don’t know about the risks related to climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences of opinion, and where further research is needed. It does not conduct its own research.

To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds. Only a dozen permanent staff work in the IPCC’s Secretariat.

The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I, dealing with the physical science basis of climate change; Working Group II, dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group III, dealing with the mitigation of climate change. It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for measuring emissions and removals.

IPCC Assessment Reports consist of contributions from each of the three working groups and a Synthesis Report. Special Reports undertake an assessment of cross-disciplinary issues that span more than one working group and are shorter and more focused than the main assessments.

Sixth Assessment Cycle

At its 41st Session in February 2015, the IPCC decided to produce a Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). At its 42nd Session in October 2015 it elected a new Bureau that would oversee the work on this report and Special Reports to be produced in the assessment cycle. At its 43rd Session in April 2016, it decided to produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report and AR6.

The Methodology Report to refine the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories will be delivered in 2019. Besides Global Warming of 1.5ºC, the IPCC will finalize two further special reports in 2019: the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate and Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. The AR6 Synthesis Report will be finalized in the first half of 2022.

For more information, including links to the IPCC reports, go to: www.ipcc.ch