Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• James Ferguson ‘Jim’ Skea of the United Kingdom was elected as the new chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• Skea is Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College in London.
• He will lead the IPCC through its seventh assessment cycle.

ABOUT IPCC

• It is an intergovernmental organization created by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in
• It aims to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
• It is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change.
• HQ- Geneva, Switzerland.
• It has 195 members.
• The main activity of the IPCC is the preparation of reports assessing the state of knowledge of climate change. These include assessment reports, special reports and methodology reports.
  • However, IPCC does not itself engage in scientific research.
• It comprises 3 working groups–
  • Working Group I: looks at the physics of climate change;
  • Working Group II: examines climate change impacts and adaptation;
  • Working Group III: focuses on climate change mitigation;
  • The three separate reports prepared by three working groups are later compiled into a synthesis report.
• The IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.