Press Release
- Global Environment
Results of the Fifty-fourth (bis) Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Fifty-fourth (bis*) Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was held in writing from December 14 to December 20, 2021. In this session, the budgets of IPCC for 2022 and beyond were discussed. (*The term "bis" means "second part" following the 54th meeting held in August 2021.)
1. Overview
The Fifty-fourth (bis) Session of the IPCC was held in writing from December 14 to December 20, 2021. In this Session, the IPCC's budget proposals for 2022 and beyond were discussed and approved based on the participating countries' opinions.
Japan has been contributing funds for the operations of the IPCC and of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI) set up within the IPCC. Japan is also responsible for running the TFI's Secretariat.
Dates: December 14 to December 20, 2021
Format: Session held in writing
Participants: Representatives of national governments and officials from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and other international organizations participated. Officials from the Ministry of the Environment took part as government representatives from Japan.
2. Background of the bis Session
The Fifty-fourth Session of the IPCC was held online in August 2021, and the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, The Working Group I (the Physical Science Basis), was approved and accepted.
The IPCC's budgets for the next year and beyond were not dealt with at this Session. For this reason, the IPCC Secretariat proposed holding a Fifty-fourth (bis) Session, and it was held in writing.
3. Schedule for upcoming sessions
The Fifty-fifth Session is to be held in February 2022 and the Fifty-sixth Session in March 2022, where The Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability) and The Working Group III (Mitigation of Climate Change) of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report are expected to be approved and accepted.
References
What is the IPCC?
- The IPCC is an intergovernmental organization established by the UNEP and the WMO in 1988.
- Thousands of researchers from all over the world participate in preparing IPCC reports.
- The IPCC provides policymakers with comprehensive assessments pertaining to global warming from scientific, technical, and socio-economic perspectives.
- The Sessions approve reports as deliverables, consider courses of action, and more.
- The IPCC's work is shared among Working Group I (Physical Science Basis), Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability), Working Group III (Mitigation of Climate Change) and the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (responsible for developing and improving emission calculation methods).
IPCC assessment reports
- Five assessment reports have been prepared thus far (the Fifth Assessment Report [AR5] was published in 2013-2014) to provide scientific knowledge as a basis for international negotiations and policy decisions by participating countries.
- Regarding the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), the Working Group I Report was published in August 2021, and preparations of reports on the Working Group II and III are currently underway.