The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations responsible for advancing knowledge on human-induced climate change. It was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by United Nations General Assembly. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it is comprised of 195 member states.
The IPCC provides objective and comprehensive scientific information on anthropogenic climate change, including the natural, political, and economic impacts and risks, and possible response options. It does not conduct original research nor monitor climate change, but rather undertakes a periodic, systematic review of all relevant published literature. Thousands of scientists and other experts volunteer to review the data and compile key findings into "Assessment Reports" for policymakers and the general public; this has been described as the biggest peer review process in the scientific community.
The IPCC is an internationally accepted authority on climate change, and its work is widely agreed upon by leading climate scientists as well as governments. Its reports play a key role in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the Fifth Assessment Report heavily informing the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for contributions to the human understanding of climate change.
The IPCC is governed by its member states, which elect a bureau of scientists to serve for the duration of an assessment cycle (usually six to seven years); the bureau selects experts nominated by governments and observer organisations to prepare IPCC reports. The IPCC is supported by a secretariat and various "Technical Support Units" from specialised working groups and task forces.
Following the election of its new bureau in 2015, the IPCC began its sixth assessment cycle, to be completed in 2022. In August 2021, the Physical Science working group of the IPCC published its contribution the Sixth Assessment Report, which The Guardian described as the "starkest warning yet" of "major inevitable and irreversible climate changes", a theme echoed by many newspapers around the world. During this period, the IPCC has released several special reports, including the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C, the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), and the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC). Consequently, the sixth assessment cycle has been described as the most ambitious in the IPCC's history.
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