Amsterdam, Netherlands – Greenpeace has raised new concerns that the next round of assessment reports from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) might not be completed in time for the next global stocktake of climate action.
The 65th Plenary Session of the IPCC was due to decide the timeline of the three Working Group contributions to the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) in Addis Ababa last week, but the meeting ended without resolution. It is the sixth time since early 2024 delegates have been unable to agree on the timings of the critical three-part assessment report. The IPCC said its 65th Session and its deliberations on the pending agenda will resume at the earliest opportunity.[1][2]
Jasper Inventor, Deputy Programme Director at Greenpeace International said: "This is another deeply frustrating setback in efforts to have the best and latest climate science available for governments at the next global stocktake. With rising emissions and escalating climate impacts, governments should be clearing the path for stronger action, not putting roadblocks in the way. It's critical that they have the AR7 reports at their disposal to measure collective progress and accelerate action."
The second global stocktake (GST2) of the Paris Agreement will conclude in 2028 and Greenpeace International is calling for all three AR7 working group reports to be published beforehand to help shape government decisions on mitigation, adaptation and finance.
IPCC assessments have unmatched authority on climate science, owing to the thousands of experts that work on them, exhaustive multi-stage review of published research and the consensus of member states. Aligning AR7 with the next global stocktake would build critical momentum for climate action in a world already facing 1.5°C overshoot.
Tracy Carty, Climate Politics Expert at Greenpeace International said: "While concerns about equity and Global South representation must be addressed in this assessment cycle and beyond - missing the Paris Agreement's global stocktake would compromise the very tool meant to keep the world on track and increase ambition. Delaying the science that communities who are already bearing the brunt of the climate crisis need, will not address legitimate concerns around equity and representation.
"But the existing science leaves no room for doubt that current action falls dangerously short, especially on phasing out fossil fuels, the primary driver of climate breakdown. A delayed IPCC assessment must not cost us critical time needed for urgent scaled up global action."
Notes:
[1] IPCC: 65th Plenary Session of IPCC suspended
[2] Statement by the IPCC Chair Jim Skea on suspension of the 65th Plenary Session of the IPCC
