By Abbas Nazil
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has invited policy makers and climate experts to participate in the review of the Second-Order Draft of its Special Report on Climate Change and Cities.
Scheduled for release in March 2027, the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities will become the first IPCC report published during the organisation’s seventh assessment cycle.
Winston Chow, Co-Chair of Working Group II, said the authors worked extensively to process tens of thousands of comments received during the earlier review stage in order to improve the quality and relevance of the report.
He explained that the organisation aims to produce a scientifically rigorous assessment capable of supporting decision-making on climate action in cities globally.
According to Chow, the review process forms a critical part of the IPCC’s multi-stage scientific assessment system designed to ensure transparency, objectivity and broad international participation.
He added that the process also guarantees that the report reflects the widest range of scientific perspectives and addresses the urgent environmental challenges facing urban communities in a warming world.
The Second-Order Draft also contains the first draft of the Summary for Policymakers, which is regarded as one of the most important sections of the report because it condenses major scientific findings into recommendations aimed at guiding governments and policymakers.
Following the latest review phase, author teams are expected to prepare the final versions of both the main report and the policymakers’ summary while considering all comments submitted by governments and experts.
The completed draft will be circulated to governments for another round of written comments before representatives meet in a plenary session to approve the Summary for Policymakers line by line and formally accept the report.
The report is expected to be the only special report produced within the current cycle, as it aims to provide updated scientific findings on climate change impacts in urban centres, including climate risks, adaptation measures and mitigation strategies available to cities worldwide.
The IPCC noted that all review comments submitted by governments and experts would be addressed by the authors, while the comments, draft versions and official responses would eventually be published after the report is finalised.
Interested experts have been encouraged to register for participation in the review process before the June 26, 2026 deadline.
The Second-Order Draft of the report will remain open for expert review from May 8 to July 3, 2026.
During the earlier review conducted between October and December 2025, the First-Order Draft received more than 32,000 comments from 1,365 registered expert reviewers across the world, highlighting the growing international interest in climate science and urban sustainability.
