The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a United Nations scientific government agency established at the request of member governments to provide the world with an impartial, scientific assessment of climate change and its political and economic implications on nations. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) founded it in 1988, and the United Nations General Assembly later approved it. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, and it has 195 member countries. This article will explain to you about the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) which will be helpful in preparing the Environment Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service exam.

Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change - Functions

• The IPCC's core function is the production of reports evaluating the state of knowledge about climate change.
• Assessment reports, special reports, and methodological reports are examples of these.
• The IPCC holds meetings of its government representatives to approve, adopt, and accept reports, which are held as plenary sessions of the Panel or IPCC Working Groups.
• The IPCC Plenary Sessions also set the IPCC work program and other matters, such as its budget and report outlines.
• The IPCC Bureau meets on a regular basis to advise the Panel on scientific and technical elements of its work.
• To develop reports, the IPCC arranges expert scoping sessions and leads author meetings.
• To complement its work program, it arranges expert meetings and seminars on a variety of issues and publishes the outcomes of these gatherings.
• The IPCC participates in outreach initiatives produced by the IPCC or hosted by other organizations to share its results and explain its work, and also offers speakers at other conferences.
• Special Reports have been prepared on a variety of topics, including aviation, regional climate change impacts, technology transfer, emission scenarios, land use, land use change, and forestry, carbon dioxide capture and storage, and the relationship between ozone protection and the global climate system.
• The IPCC also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories whose primary goal is to develop and improve a methodology for calculating and reporting national greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

IPCC - Assessment Report

• The Assessment Reports, the first of which was published in 1990, are the most in-depth assessments of the condition of the Earth's climate.
• The IPCC publishes assessment reports every few years (about every seven years).
• Hundreds of professionals pore through every piece of relevant, published scientific material to produce a shared understanding of climate change.
• The four successive assessment reports, totaling thousands of pages, were published in 1995, 2001, 2007, and 2015.
• These have served as the foundation for the worldwide response to climate change.
• Each assessment report has expanded on the work of the preceding ones over the years, providing additional evidence, information, and statistics.
• As a result, most judgments concerning climate change and its consequences today have significantly greater clarity, confidence, and a plethora of fresh information than previously.
• These discussions resulted in the Paris Agreement and, before, the Kyoto Protocol.
• The Paris Agreement was negotiated in response to the Fifth Assessment Report.
• The Assessment Reports are produced by three scientific working groups.
• Working Group I focuses on the scientific foundations of climate change.
• Working Group II investigates potential consequences, vulnerabilities, and adaptive challenges.
• Working Group III focuses on possible climate change mitigation measures.
• IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) – 2021

IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) – 2021

• The United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) is the sixth in a series of publications that examine scientific, technological, and socioeconomic evidence about climate change.
• The first section of this study, on climate change physical science, was released in 2021.
• It has previously cautioned that 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming was likely to be attained by 2040.
• The second half of the study, which included climate change consequences, risks and vulnerabilities, and adaptation alternatives, was released in March 2022.
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations' climate scientific authority, has issued the third part of its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).
• The third and final section of the paper will investigate emission-cutting options.

IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) - Key Findings

• Global net anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 59 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) in 2019, up 54% from 1990.
• This increase in emissions has been primarily driven by CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and the industrial sector, as well as methane emissions.
• However, the average annual rate of growth dropped to 1.3 percent per year from 2010 to 2019, compared to 2.1 percent per year from 2000 to 2009.
• At least 18 nations have continuously lowered GHG emissions for more than ten years owing to the decarbonization of their energy systems, energy efficiency initiatives, and reduced energy consumption.
• To meet the 1.5°C objectives, widespread system reforms across the energy, buildings, transportation, land and other sectors are necessary, which will entail adopting low-emission or zero-carbon growth paths in each sector.
• Since 2010, the costs of low-emission technology have steadily decreased.
• Solar energy has been reduced by 85 percent in unit prices, wind energy by 55 percent, and lithium-ion batteries by 85 percent.
• It also states that demand-side mitigation, such as adopting plant-based diets or switching to walking and cycling, "may cut global GHG emissions in end-use sectors by 40-70 percent by 2050 relative to baseline scenarios" and boost wellbeing.
• According to the IPCC, low-cost climate mitigation solutions might cut world GHG emissions in half by 2030.
• Indeed, the long-term advantages of reducing global warming outweigh the costs.
• Investing in decarbonization would have a negligible influence on world GDP.

IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and India

• According to the second edition of the IPCC report, India would suffer greatly if emissions are not cut.
• If emissions continue, India would experience food and water scarcity, heat nearing human survival limits, substantial economic destruction, and rising sea levels.
• According to the IPCC assessment, approximately 3.5 billion people, or 45 percent of the world population, live in climate-vulnerable areas.
• The ability of humans and natural ecosystems to adapt is also being challenged, according to the research, and rises in global warming will make it more difficult for them to adapt.
• Wet-bulb temperatures (which combine humidity and heat) will rise in India, potentially exceeding the unsurvivable threshold of 35 degrees Celsius.
• Because of its nearly 7000 km coastline, India will face significant dangers from increasing sea levels.
• Furthermore, the Indian Ocean is warming faster than the rest of the world.
• Coastal flooding will affect around 28.6 million people in the port cities of Kochi, Kolkata, Chennai, Surat, Visakhapatnam, and Mumbai.
• Retreating snowlines can affect precipitation patterns, the water cycle, increasing floods, and water scarcity in states across the Himalayas.
• Summer and yearly monsoon rains are both anticipated to rise.

IPCC - Recommendations

• Countries should aim for zero net emissions by 2050.
• GHG emissions must be drastically reduced in this decade (2021-30).
• New coal facilities, as well as fossil fuel exploration and development, should be prohibited.
• Governments, corporations, and investors should all work together to achieve a low-carbon future.
• When determining net zero, cumulative emissions should be included.
• Technology should be created to produce negative emissions, which means that the earth should be cooled.
• This can be accomplished by sucking or sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, ceasing the use of fossil fuels, and halting deforestation.
• Global emissions must peak somewhere in the middle of this decade in order to stay below the 2°C goal for this century (by 2025).

Conclusion

The IPCC’s mission is to give scientific information to governments at all levels to help them formulate climate policy. The IPCC produces comprehensive Assessment Reports on the present state of scientific, technical, and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, its impacts and future threats, and options for reducing the rate of climate change.

FAQs

MCQs

1. What is the primary function of the IPCC?

A) To conduct climate research
B) To provide a platform for climate negotiations
C) To assess the scientific knowledge on climate change
D) To enforce international climate agreements

2. Which of the following bodies established the IPCC?

A) United Nations and World Meteorological Organization
B) United Nations Environment Programme
C) Intergovernmental Organization on Climate Action
D) World Health Organization

3. Which report by the IPCC became a landmark document in global climate negotiations?

A) Special Report on 1.5°C Global Warming
B) The First Assessment Report
C) The Paris Report
D) IPCC Special Report on Climate Adaptation

4. Which of the following IPCC working groups focuses on mitigation strategies?

A) Working Group I
B) Working Group II
C) Working Group III
D) Working Group IV

5. How does the IPCC ensure the relevance of its reports to policymakers?

A) By conducting its own climate research
B) Through collaborations with governments and organizations
C) By focusing only on regional impacts
D) By setting international climate standards

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the role of the IPCC in shaping international climate action. How has its work influenced the policies of nations in addressing climate change?

Answer: The IPCC plays a pivotal role in shaping international climate action by providing the scientific foundation for climate policy. Its periodic Assessment Reports synthesize the latest research on climate change, its impacts, and mitigation strategies, providing policymakers with critical information. The IPCC's work has influenced international agreements, most notably the Paris Agreement, where its findings highlighted the need to limit global warming to well below 2°C. By offering a robust scientific understanding of climate change, the IPCC has helped drive the global consensus on the need for immediate and sustained climate action. Its reports also inform national policies, helping governments design climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that are based on sound science. The IPCC's role in promoting climate action has made it a key actor in the fight against climate change.

Q2: Evaluate the impact of IPCC’s Special Reports on global climate policy. How have these reports helped governments in formulating climate strategies?

Answer: The IPCC's Special Reports, particularly the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, have had a profound impact on global climate policy. These reports focus on specific aspects of climate change, offering in-depth analyses of topics like global warming limits, climate adaptation, and greenhouse gas emissions. The 1.5°C report, for example, underscored the importance of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels to avoid catastrophic impacts on ecosystems and human societies. This finding has directly influenced climate negotiations, including the Paris Agreement, where countries committed to efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C. The IPCC's Special Reports provide governments with concrete evidence on the urgency of climate action, helping them formulate effective climate strategies and policies that address global warming, emissions reduction, and resilience building. These reports have catalyzed a more ambitious global approach to addressing climate change.

Q3: Analyze the challenges faced by the IPCC in conveying scientific findings on climate change to policymakers. How does the IPCC address these challenges?

Answer: One of the primary challenges the IPCC faces in conveying scientific findings to policymakers is the complexity and uncertainty inherent in climate science. Climate change is a multifaceted issue that spans various sectors, from energy to agriculture to ecosystems, and its impacts are not uniform across regions. Communicating this complexity in a clear, actionable manner is a challenge. Furthermore, there are political and economic considerations that sometimes hinder the acceptance of climate science. The IPCC addresses these challenges by ensuring that its reports are thoroughly peer-reviewed, transparent, and based on the best available scientific evidence. The IPCC also works closely with policymakers to ensure that its reports are relevant to the needs of governments. Additionally, the IPCC uses clear, accessible language and visualizations to make its findings more understandable. The organization also organizes workshops and consultations with governments to bridge the gap between science and policy.

Previous Year Questions on IPCC

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2020:

Question: Which of the following is the primary objective of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)?

A) To promote international trade policies
B) To assess the scientific knowledge on climate change
C) To regulate global emissions
D) To conduct environmental research

Answer: (B)

Explanation: The primary objective of the IPCC is to assess the scientific knowledge on climate change, its impacts, and the potential measures to mitigate and adapt to these changes, providing valuable information to policymakers.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2019 (GS Paper 2):

Question: "What role does the IPCC play in global climate governance? Discuss its contributions to international climate policy."

Answer: The IPCC plays a critical role in global climate governance by providing scientific assessments on the state of climate change and its impacts. Its reports inform the negotiations and outcomes of major international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. The IPCC helps set global climate policy by offering evidence-based recommendations on emissions reduction, adaptation strategies, and the need for international cooperation. The IPCC’s assessments provide a common platform for governments to base their climate actions, contributing significantly to global efforts to tackle climate change.