Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Abbreviation	IPCC
Formation	1988; 37 years ago (1988)
Type	Panel
Headquarters	Geneva, Switzerland
Chair	Jim Skea
Vice-Chair	Youba Sokona
Parent organization	World Meteorological Organization United Nations Environment Program

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a special group that works with the United Nations. Its main goal is to gather and share scientific information about climate change. This includes how human activities cause climate change.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) started the IPCC in 1988. Later that year, the United Nations officially supported it. The IPCC has an office in Geneva, Switzerland. It is supported by the WMO.

The IPCC has 195 member countries. These countries guide the IPCC's work. They choose a group of scientists, called a bureau. This bureau serves for about six to seven years. The bureau then picks experts to write the IPCC's reports. These experts are nominated by governments and other groups. The IPCC has three main working groups and a special task force. These groups do the scientific work.

The IPCC helps governments understand climate change. It does this by looking at all the scientific studies available. This includes how climate change affects nature, money, and people. It also looks at ways to deal with climate change. The IPCC does not do its own new research. It aims to be fair and cover everything important.

Thousands of scientists and experts volunteer to check these studies. They put the main findings into "Assessment Reports." These reports are for leaders and the public. Many experts say this is the biggest scientific review process in the world.

Leading climate scientists and all member governments agree with the IPCC's findings. This shows that the IPCC is a trusted source of information on climate change. Governments, groups, and the news often use information from the IPCC's reports.

IPCC reports are very important for climate talks. These talks happen every year under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For example, the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report greatly influenced the Paris Agreement in 2015. The IPCC also won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. They won for helping us understand climate change better.

The IPCC started its seventh assessment cycle in 2023. In August 2021, the IPCC released a report from its Working Group I. This report was part of the Sixth Assessment Report. It focused on the science behind climate change. The Guardian newspaper called it the "starkest warning yet." It spoke of "major inevitable and irreversible climate changes." Many newspapers around the world said similar things.

In February 2022, Working Group II released its report. This report was about the effects of climate change and how to adapt. In April 2022, Working Group III released its report. This one was about how to stop climate change by reducing harmful gases. The Sixth Assessment Report ended with a final summary report in March 2023.

During the Sixth Assessment Report period, the IPCC also released three special reports. The first and most important was the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C in 2018. In 2019, two more special reports came out. These were the Special Report on Climate Change and Land and the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. The IPCC also updated its methods in 2019. This made the sixth assessment cycle the biggest one in the IPCC's history.

How the IPCC Started

Before the IPCC, there was a group called the Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases (AGGG). Three organizations created the AGGG in 1986. These were the International Council of Scientific Unions, UNEP, and the WMO. The AGGG looked at scientific research on greenhouse gases. It also studied how these gases were increasing.

Climate science was becoming more complex. It covered many different areas. This small group of scientists did not have enough resources. They could not cover all the new climate science.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency wanted an international agreement. This agreement would limit gases that warm the planet. The US government at the time worried that independent scientists would have too much power. So, the WMO and UNEP created the IPCC in 1988. It was set up as a group of governments.

Scientists in the IPCC act as both experts and government representatives. The IPCC creates reports that are supported by leading scientists. Member governments must also agree to the reports. This means the IPCC is both a scientific group and a group of governments. Its job is to tell governments what scientists know about climate change. It also looks at the effects of climate change and ways to deal with it. The IPCC does this by checking scientific papers that have been reviewed by other scientists.

The United Nations officially supported the IPCC in 1988. A UN resolution noted that human activities could change the climate. This could lead to serious problems for money and society. It said that more greenhouse gases could warm the planet. This would cause the sea level to rise. The resolution warned that if steps were not taken soon, the effects on people would be very bad.

How the IPCC Works

Adoption of the Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C in 2018

The IPCC does not do its own new research. Instead, it creates full reports on what we know about climate change. It also writes reports on special topics related to climate change. Plus, it develops methods to help countries measure their greenhouse gas emissions. These methods also help measure how much gas is removed by natural "sinks" like forests.

The IPCC's reports build on earlier reports and scientific studies. Over six major assessments, the reports have shown more and more evidence. This evidence proves that the climate is changing. And it shows that human activity is causing these changes.

Rules and Principles

The IPCC has rules for how it works. These rules are in its "Principles Governing IPCC Work." They state that the IPCC will look at:

• the danger of climate change caused by people,
• its possible impacts, and
• ways to prevent or reduce it.

The IPCC's rules say its reports must be complete, fair, open, and clear. They must include all important information for understanding climate change. This includes scientific, technical, and economic information. IPCC reports must not recommend specific government policies. However, they can talk about facts that are important for making policies.

IPCC Structure

The IPCC has a clear structure to do its work:

• IPCC Panel: This is the main decision-making body. It meets about twice a year. It can meet more often to approve reports. It decides on the IPCC's structure, rules, work plan, and money. It accepts and approves all IPCC reports.
• Chair: The Panel chooses the Chair. The Chair leads the Bureau and other groups. They also represent the IPCC.
• Bureau: The Panel also chooses the Bureau. It currently has 34 members from different parts of the world. The Chair, three Vice-Chairs, and leaders of the Working Groups are part of it. The Bureau guides the Panel on scientific and technical matters.
• Working Groups: Each Working Group has two Co-Chairs. One is from a developed country, and one is from a developing country. A small team helps each Working Group. These groups approve the summaries of reports for policymakers. Each Working Group also has its own Bureau.
  • Working Group I: This group studies the scientific parts of the climate system and climate change. Its Co-Chairs are Robert Vautard (France) and Xiaoye Zhang (China).
  • Working Group II: This group looks at how climate change affects people and nature. It also studies ways to adapt to these changes. Its Co-Chairs are Bart van den Hurk (Netherlands) and Winston Chow (Singapore).
  • Working Group III: This group studies how to stop climate change. It focuses on limiting gases that cause warming (called "mitigation"). Its Co-Chairs are Katherine Calvin (United States) and Joy Jacqueline Pereira (Malaysia).
• Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: This group creates methods for estimating greenhouse gas emissions. Its Co-Chairs are Takeshi Enoki (Japan) and Mazhar Hayat (Pakistan).
• Executive Committee: This group includes the Chair, IPCC Vice-Chairs, and the Co-Chairs of the Working Groups and Task Force. It handles urgent issues that come up between Panel meetings.
• Secretariat: This office manages the IPCC's activities. It supports the Chair and Bureau. It is also the main contact point for governments. UNEP and the WMO support the Secretariat.

IPCC Chair

The current Chair of the IPCC is British energy scientist Jim Skea. He started his role on July 28, 2023. His office is supported by the International Institute for Environment and Development. Before him, the Chair was Korean economist Hoesung Lee, chosen in 2015. Other past Chairs include Rajendra K. Pachauri, Robert Watson, and Bert Bolin.

The Panel

The IPCC Panel is made up of representatives chosen by governments. They attend the main meetings of the IPCC and its Working Groups. Other groups, like non-governmental organizations, can attend as observers. IPCC meetings are usually by invitation only.

For example, about 500 people from 130 countries attended a meeting in South Korea in October 2018. This included 290 government officials. The opening parts of Panel meetings and Lead Author meetings are open to the media. Other IPCC meetings are closed.

How the IPCC is Funded

The IPCC gets its money from a special fund. UNEP and the WMO started this fund in 1989. Member governments give money to this fund every year. The WMO, UNEP, and other groups also contribute. These payments are voluntary. There is no required amount. The WMO pays for the daily costs of the IPCC office. It also sets the financial rules for the IPCC. The Panel decides on the yearly budget.

In 2021, the IPCC's yearly budget was about six million euros. The 195 UN member countries pay for this. They contribute "independently and voluntarily." In 2021, the countries that gave the most money included the United States, Japan, France, Germany, and Norway. Other countries, often developing ones, help by hosting IPCC meetings. This is called an "in-kind contribution." In 2022, the budget was a bit less than eight million euros.

Important IPCC Reports

The IPCC has published many important reports over the years. These reports help us understand climate change and how to deal with it.

See also

In Spanish: Grupo Intergubernamental de Expertos sobre el Cambio Climático para niños

• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change