COP29 begins, IPCC unveils events at climate change conference

Ahead of the upcoming 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has unveiled its catalogue of events at the conference.

The year’s edition of the conference holds from 11 to 22 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The IPCC has reassured participants of its strong presence at the event.

IPCC is the UN body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (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.

In the same year the UN General Assembly endorsed the action by the WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC. It has 195 member states.

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.

The IPCC has three working groups: Working Group I, dealing with the physical science basis of climate change; Working Group II, dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group III, dealing with the mitigation of climate change. It also has a Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories that develops methodologies for estimating emissions and removals of greenhouse gases.

At COP29

The IPCC Chair, Jim Skea, will address the opening of the High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government during the World Leaders Climate Action Summit on 12 November.

“On the first day of the conference, he will deliver remarks during the opening of the mandated Earth Information Day event. Among other engagements, he will deliver a scene-setting presentation at the opening of the 2024 Annual High-Level Ministerial Round Table on the pre-2030 Ambition scheduled for 18 November,” a statement by the IPCC Press Office said.

The statement also said the IPCC Chair is scheduled to meet with ministers, heads of delegations, and representatives from various organizations, constituencies, groups, and constituted bodies of the UNFCCC during conference.

Similarly, the IPCC Secretary, Abdalah Mokssit, will deliver a statement at the opening plenary of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). He will also take part in various events organised in the “Science for Climate Action” pavilion located in COP29 Blue Zone and hosted jointly with the World Meteorological Organization and the MERI Foundation.

Learn More

In addition, the IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair Bart Vanden Hurk will speak at the Special High-Level Event of the Leader’s Summit entitled “Adverse Impacts of Climate Change on the Decline of Water Basins” on 13 November.

“Under the UNFCCC’s official programme of side events, the IPCC’s event will focus on the Panel’s work during the seventh assessment cycle, including the discussion about knowledge gaps from the perspective of the IPCC’s three Working Groups. The side event is scheduled for 16:45 to 18:15 on 14 November in Side Event Room 1.” Statement further explained.

Notably, the “Science for Climate Action” pavilion will have a rich program of approximately 40 scientific panels and events. IPCC´s contribution to the programme is designed to serve as a “toolbox” for the delegations and participants of the conference regarding IPCC’s work in the seventh assessment cycle.

Interestingly, IPCC will host eight events spread across two weeks, organized around key thematic areas such as the urban, local and regional focus of the Seventh Assessment, planning for the Seventh Assessment Report, as well as new methodologies under the IPCC Taskforce on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, including updates on the IPCC inventory software.