Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
people has grown steadily. As I noted late in
Chapter 7,
the periodic IPCC
reports codify this consensus in words and images. The IPCC was estab-
lished by the World Meteorological Organization and the UNEP in 1988.
To quote directly from its website, it is
a scientific body [that]
reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, tech-
nical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the
understanding of climate change. It does not conduct any research nor does
it monitor climate-related data or parameters. Thousands of scientists from all
over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis. Review
is an essential part of the IPCC process, to ensure an objective and complete
assessment of current information. The IPCC aims to reflect a range of views
and expertise.
...
accessed 30 September 2012)
In the IPCC, scientific research into climate change that has, for the
most part, passed through 'blind' peer review is analysed
en masse
by a
team of leading Earth/environmental scientists and synthesised into reports
into the 'state of the art' knowledge about the subject. These scientists'
own research publications are among the many surveyed. The assessment
reports are intended to be taken notice of by political leaders, the global
business community, publics worldwide and those (e.g. environmentalists)
in the 'third', or voluntary/charitable, sector. The first scientific assessment
report was published in 1990 and the most recent (the fifth report) released
in 2013. Such was its standing 19 years after its creation that the IPCC
was co-awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (along with former US Sena-
tor and environmental campaigner Al Gore). Despite concerted efforts by
'climate change sceptics' in the United States to challenge the IPCC's mes-
sages, by 2009 virtually no climate scientist was prepared to dispute points
(1)-(3). Consequently, even in the Western countries where the sceptics have
commanded greatest public attention, i.e. the United States, Canada and
Australia, the quality press had begun to refrain from the 'bias of balance'
discussed towards the end of the previous chapter. Related to this, numer-
ous surveys showed that publics worldwide were increasingly convinced of
points (1) and (2), if not necessarily (3).
Given this context, 2009 should have been an important year for cli-
mate change science and climate change politics alike. Over 2,000 climate
change researchers met in Copenhagen in March 2009 at a 'Climate
Congress' designed to distil key scientific messages that could be fed into
the December 2009 meeting of international policymakers to agree fur-
ther action to reduce GHG emissions. The peer reviewed synthesis report
published by the Congress organisers reiterated the conclusions of the
IPCC fourth assessment report.
2
The most recent
(post-2006) research
surveyed by
