The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has taken note of the US government's announcement about its withdrawal from more than 60 UN and non-UN organizations, including the IPCC.
The IPCC is an organization consisting of governments that are members of the United Nations or the World Meteorological Organization. As such, and in line with the principles governing IPCC's work, participation in the work and processes of the IPCC is voluntary, free and open to all WMO and UN Member countries - with or without a formal announcement.
The IPCC was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WMO in 1988 to provide political leaders with periodic scientific assessments concerning climate change, its implications and risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation strategies. WMO hosts the IPCC Secretariat in Geneva.
"The preparation of the scientific reports agreed by the member governments for this assessment cycle is underway. The Panel continues to make decisions by consensus among its member governments at its regular Plenary sessions. Our attention remains firmly on the delivery of these reports," said IPCC Chair Jim Skea.
The IPCC is a unique interface between science and policy. Because of the IPCC's scientific and intergovernmental nature, its assessments of scientific knowledge related to climate change provide rigorous and balanced scientific, evidence-based actionable information to the world's decision-makers.
Thousands of people from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC. For the assessment reports, experts volunteer their time as IPCC authors to assess the thousands of scientific papers published each year to provide a comprehensive summary of what is known about the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks.
IPCC reports provide governments at all levels with scientific information to support the development of climate policies. They also deliver key scientific inputs into international climate change negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The IPCC is the longest-standing intergovernmental panel. It has a unique capacity to assess and synthesise the vast and exponentially growing body of scientific knowledge on climate change, its impacts, and available responses.
