Why everyone is waiting for IPCC sixth report on climate change?

The Synthesis Report, which is the final part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, is currently being reviewed and approved by the IPCC at a meeting in Interlaken, Switzerland.

The report summarizes the findings of the six reports released during the current cycle that began in 2015, including three Special Reports and the contributions of three IPCC Working Groups.

During the meeting, the IPCC will approve the Summary for Policymakers of the Synthesis Report line by line, as well as adopt the longer report section by section.

The report will be a crucial policy document for shaping climate action in the remaining years of this decade, according to IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, who stressed that inaction and delays are not options.

Over 650 delegates are in attendance at the IPCC plenary, and video messages from several UN officials were screened. Swiss Federal Councilor Albert Rösti welcomed the delegates on behalf of the host country.

A policy guide for the next decade

The upcoming summary report, resulting from the ongoing summit, will serve as a policy guide for the next decade. It will consolidate the conclusions of the six previous documents published by the IPCC since 2015, covering physical science, the impact of climate change on ecosystems and biodiversity, mitigation, and the primary sources of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Moreover, the report will integrate the main findings of the IPCC's special reports on global warming, desertification, and the effects of the climate crisis on oceans and the planet's frozen surface.

The IPCC has already cautioned the international community that a temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius before 2100 would cause "irreversible impacts" on humanity.

The Chairman of the IPCC, Hoesung Lee, emphasized that "inaction and delays are not options" during the opening of the Interlaken conference. He likened the forthcoming synthesis report to "a necessary textbook for politicians today and tomorrow."

The summit's first session featured video interventions by United Nations leaders, including Secretary-General António Guterres and World Meteorological Organization head Petteri Taalas.

What is IPCC?

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific body established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The IPCC provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific, technical, and socio-economic aspects of climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

IPCC reports are based on the most recent scientific findings and involve a comprehensive and rigorous review process involving hundreds of expert scientists from around the world.

The IPCC has produced a series of Assessment Reports, Special Reports, Technical Papers, and Methodology Reports since its establishment in 1988.

IPCC report timeline

Here is a timeline of the major IPCC reports:

• 1990: First Assessment Report (AR1) provides the first comprehensive assessment of climate change science, impacts, and mitigation options.

• 1995: Second Assessment Report (AR2) updates the scientific understanding of climate change and includes the first assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on ecosystems, socio-economic sectors, and human health.

• 2001: Third Assessment Report (AR3) includes improved models and understanding of climate change, with greater regional detail and an assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on extreme weather events.

• 2007: Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) provides further scientific evidence of the impacts of climate change, with increased regional detail and analysis of adaptation options.

• 2014: Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) includes new information on the physical science of climate change, the observed and projected impacts of climate change, and options for mitigation and adaptation.

• 2018: Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C assesses the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and the pathways to limit global warming to this level.

• 2019: Special Report on Climate Change and Land provides an assessment of the relationship between climate change and land use, including the potential for mitigation and adaptation measures in the agricultural sector.

• 2019: Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate assesses the impacts of climate change on the world's oceans and frozen regions, including sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and the loss of sea ice.

• 2021: Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) includes three Working Group reports covering the physical science basis of climate change, impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, and mitigation. The report also includes a Synthesis Report, which integrates and summarizes the key findings of the Working Group reports.

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