Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
13.5 Communicating ocean acidii cation
to policy- and decision-makers
13.5.1
challenge is the objective assessment of tens of thou-
sands of scientii c papers by three expert working
groups on the 'Physical Science Basis' (Working
Group I), 'Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability'
(Working Group II), and 'Mitigation of Climate
Change' (Working Group III). Following the three
reports and a review process by experts and gov-
ernments the information is further distilled in a
Technical Annex and i nally a Summary for
Policymakers, the wording of which is agreed by
governments. By endorsing the IPCC reports, gov-
ernments acknowledge the authority of their scien-
tii c content. The work of the organization is
therefore policy-relevant and yet policy-neutral,
never policy-prescriptive. Such a distillation of
information will almost certainly lead to generali-
zations and some loss of accuracy, but despite some
errors, knowledge gaps, and uncertainty the con-
clusion that human-induced climate change is a
threat to humankind remains (PBL 2010).
Ocean acidii cation was recognized by IPCC in
the 4th Assessment Report as a risk caused by
increasing CO
2
emissions ( IPCC 2007 ). With evi-
dence from ocean acidii cation research growing as
new national and international programmes [for
example the EU funded European Project on Ocean
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
Policymakers need an objective source of informa-
tion about the causes of climate change, its potential
environmental and socio-economic consequences,
and the adaptation and mitigation options to
respond to it. Over the last 20 years, the Inter-
governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has
been the main source of collective evidence, scien-
tii c consensus, and assessment of the risks of cli-
mate change for policymaking (IPCC 2007).
The IPCC process was established by the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
(Fig 13.4). The IPCC is a scientii c body. It reviews
and assesses the most recent scientii c, technical,
and socio-economic information produced world-
wide relevant to the understanding of climate
change. It does not conduct any research nor does it
monitor climate-related data or parameters. Around
4000 scientists from 130 countries contributed to the
work of the IPCC 4th Assessment Report on Climate
Change in 2007 on a voluntary basis. The enormous
Summary for
policymakers (SPM):
accepted by
governments
expert and
government
agreement
SPM
Technical
Annex
3 drafts, expert
and government
reviewed
3 working group
reports by
international experts
10 000's scientific papers
Figure 13.4
A simplii ed schematic of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) process which was developed by the World Meteorological
Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme for the assessment of human-induced climate change. Four key assessment reports on climate
change have been produced so far, each informing the climate negotiating process. The IPCC 1st Assessment Report (1990) informed the Rio de Janeiro
Summit in 1992, the IPCC 2nd Assessment Report (1995) informed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, the IPCC 3rd Assessment Report (2001) informed the
development of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and the IPCC 4th Assessment Report (2007)
informed the Bali Roadmap and the 15th and 16th Conference of Parties (COP15 and COP16) climate negotiations in Copenhagen (2009) and Cancún
(2010) in the progression towards a post-2012 deal on climate change.
