IPCC to come out with new scientific reports on climate change ahead of India COP33 in 2028

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change, on Saturday decided to come out with a new set of scientific reports on the issue ahead of the 2028 climate change conference (COP33) which will be held in India.

Besides providing political leaders with periodic scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and risks, as well as suggestions on adaptation and mitigation strategies through its three working groups’ reports by 2028, the IPCC in its seventh assessment cycle (2023-29) will also deliver a special report on ‘climate change and cities’ and a methodology report on ‘Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies’ and ‘Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage’ (CCUS) — the options which are currently being considered important for taking the world towards carbon neutrality by 2050.

The decision in this regard was taken during the the IPCC’s 60th plenary session, concluded in Istanbul, Turkiye on Saturday.

“The Panel has taken a critical step in plotting the course for the entire cycle. Their decisions reflect the interest of member governments in getting policy-relevant, timely and actionable scientific information as soon as possible and providing input to the 2028 second Global Stocktake. There is a notable emphasis on adaptation to climate change,“ said IPCC Chair Jim Skea.

He further said, “Today’s decision is also a clear signal to the scientific community that the work on the new assessments of the climate change science can now begin in earnest.”

In addition to three new working group reports ahead of COP33, the IPCC will also come out with a Synthesis Report of the Seventh Assessment cycle by late 2029.

Thousands of people from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC which was established in 1988.

For the assessment reports, experts volunteer their time as IPCC authors to assess the thousands of scientific papers published each year to provide a comprehensive summary to 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. Its reports are drafted and reviewed in several stages, thus guaranteeing objectivity and transparency. Comprehensive scientific assessment reports are published by the Panel every 5 to 7 years.