IPCC’S ASSESSMENT REPORTS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Over the years, the IPCC reports have substantiated the fact that the world is much warmer now and that humans have played a crucial role in this warming.

About Sixth Assessment Cycle (AR6):

• Release of the Report: At the 58th session of IPCC in Interlaken, Switzerland.
• The Report: It is the 4th and final instalment of the sixth assessment report (AR6). It is based on results from three Working Groups (WGs):

oWG I evaluated the physical science basis of climate change,

oWG II evaluated the impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, and

oWG III evaluated the mitigation.

Global stocktake

• About: It is a process conducted every five years by UNFCCC countries to evaluate the world's progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement.
• Purpose:  To measure collective progress, identify gaps, and guide future climate action strategies.
• The first GST occurred from 2022 to 2023, concluding at the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UNFCCC in Dubai.
• Member countries agreed on the text of the first GST at COP28, requesting alignment of the IPCC's work with subsequent stocktakes.

IPCC's AR7 Cycle

• About: The AR7 cycle involves the production of several key reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• In Turkey, the Bureau agreed to produce full assessment and synthesis reports, methodology reports, and a special report.
• Three reports from the IPCC's sixth assessment cycle (ARG) were published between 2021-2022, focusing on consequences, adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation aspects of climate change.

  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

  • About: The IPCC, created in 1988 by the WMO and UNEP, assesses climate change science for the United Nations.
  • Membership: Boasting 195 member countries, the IPCC serves as a universal body for climate-related evaluations.
  • Objective: To evaluate scientific, technical, and socio-economic data pertaining to human-induced climate change and propose mitigation and adaptation strategies.
  • Key Activities: Primarily, the IPCC produces assessment reports, special reports, and methodology reports, influencing global climate change negotiations.