Nepal to host IPCC meeting to prepare Sixth Assessment Report

Published On: July 11, 2019 02:30 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the objective of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.

KATHMANDU, July 11: Nepal is all set to host the Working Group II meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which deals with the impacts, adaptation and vulnerability to climate change, next week to contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.

The meeting from July 15 to 19 will bring together more than 260 authors and IPCC bureau members from more than 60 countries, according to the organizers. The meeting is being hosted by the Ministry of Forests and Environment of Nepal in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

“The meeting here in Kathmandu reminds us in a very direct way of the strong interdependence of human and natural systems, and how both are threatened by climate change,” a press statement issued by the ICIMOD quoted the Working Group II Co-Chair Debra Roberts as saying.

“The purpose of our report is to provide options for adaptation action that will enable cities like Kathmandu and ecosystems such as the high mountains to thrive and contribute toward improved well-being and sustainable development. The key aspects of our report and reasons to act on climate change are very evident here.”

The organizers said that the contribution of the Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report provides governments with an assessment of the latest scientific knowledge about the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human systems and their vulnerabilities. It also analyses the capacities and limits of these systems to adapt to climate change and options to reduce climate-associated risks and to create a sustainable future.

Ahead of the meeting, the initial draft of the report underwent an informal review. Comments from experts in various disciplines will be addressed when authors prepare the first order draft of the report.

“The internal draft and its careful review by experts have helped us to set the course for our assessment. Based on this, we will be able to provide the governments with in-depth information on their efforts to reduce the risks that climate change poses to the ecosystems and human society, protect biodiversity, eradicate poverty and enhance sustainable development,” the statement quoted Working-Group II Co-Chair Hans-Otto Pörtner as saying.

The first order draft will be available for expert review from October 18 to December 13. The second order draft will be open for government and expert review from August 7 to October 2 next year, along with the first draft of the summary for policymakers. The IPCC panel is due to consider the contribution of the Working Group II to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report at a plenary session on October 4 to 8, 2021.

In 2022, a synthesis report integrating the contributions of the three working groups and special reports will complete the sixth assessment cycle. It will be released in time to inform the 2023 global stock take by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when countries will review progress toward the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming to well below 2°C while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.

Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the objective of the IPCC is to provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.

The IPCC is an organization of governments that are members of the United Nations or WMO. The IPCC currently has 195 members.


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