By Abdullahi Lukman
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has commenced its seventh assessment cycle, with a focus on urban climate change and short-lived climate forcers, as announced by IPCC Chairperson Jim Skea at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS).
The IPCC has already agreed on the outline for a Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, and lead authors have been selected, set to convene in Osaka, Japan, next week.
This report highlights the urgency of addressing the unique challenges cities face in a warming world.
An outline for a report on Short-Lived Climate Forcers, such as volatile organic compounds, has been finalized, with the report expected to be completed by late 2027.
These reports provide crucial scientific data used by countries in climate negotiations and guide government and business strategies for transitioning away from fossil fuels.
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The seventh cycle follows the sixth assessment cycle (October 2015 – July 2023), during which the IPCC produced the comprehensive Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), along with three special reports and a methodology refinement.
These reports serve as the foundation for global climate policy and action.
The IPCC’s periodic Assessment Reports (ARs) were created to provide comprehensive scientific evaluations of climate change, analyzing its causes, impacts, and potential solutions.
As climate change became a growing global concern, policymakers recognized the need for a reliable and objective source of information to guide international negotiations and responses.
The first Assessment Report (AR1), published in 1990, marked a turning point in climate science by presenting clear evidence of global warming and human influence on the climate system.
Its findings helped lay the foundation for international climate action, leading to the establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992.
