IPCC scientists will continue work on reports despite deadlock — Climate Home News
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a session of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was suspended without an agreement on the publication schedule for the reports of the seventh assessment cycle, AR7. After this, nearly 120 of the 664 assessment authors said in an open letter that they would continue working on the reports rigorously, promptly and inclusively, Climate Home News reports.
The key dispute has continued since the beginning of 2024 and concerns whether all three parts of the AR7 assessment should be released before the end of the second UN Global Stocktake at the end of 2028. The letter’s authors stressed that an assessment published after the decisions it is intended to inform have been made will not be able to fulfill its task.
The schedule and budget remain unresolved
After the session ended, the IPCC said that the release dates for the three AR7 reports and the group’s budget remain open for discussion. The plenary session and consideration of unresolved issues are to resume at the earliest opportunity, but no specific date was given.
According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, IPCC Chair Jim Skea called the past months among the most turbulent for the climate science body and said he was deeply disappointed by the lack of compromise. No agreement was reached before some delegates from developing countries and small island states left Ethiopia to catch flights home.
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Dispute over Global South participation
European countries, small island states, least developed countries, as well as many Latin American and developed countries support completing the reports before the 2028 Global Stocktake. They consider the IPCC’s findings necessary for making climate decisions within the UN.
At the same time, about a dozen developing countries and the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — insist on a later schedule. They explain this by the need to allow more time for research from Global South countries and to avoid placing an excessive burden on experts. According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin and a diplomat from one developed country, India and Saudi Arabia advocated this position most actively at the meeting.
Participants also discussed increasing funding for the participation of delegates from developing countries: instead of one representative, they proposed funding the participation of two. According to the secretariat’s estimate, this could increase the cost of completing AR7 by up to a quarter. The proposal was not adopted because no agreement was reached on either the budget or the reports’ schedule.
Despite the political dispute, IPCC working groups continue their scientific work. The groups on the physical science basis of climate change and adaptation are preparing to review the first drafts of their reports, while the emissions reduction group is completing the first draft of its document.
