Joint press release with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced the main contributors to its next Assessment Report. 36 of the more than 800 authors from all over the world will be climate scientists from German universities, research institutes and the private sector who will support the IPCC with their expertise. This means that almost one third of the candidates nominated by the German government have been selected. Federal Research Minister Annette Schavan and Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen welcome the selection of so many distinguished experts from Germany. The high quality of the report can only be maintained if it is founded on outstanding scientific expertise.
The Fifth IPCC Assessment Report is scheduled to be published in 2013/2014 and will play a vital role in the review of the Copenhagen Accord to be conducted in 2015. The reports reflect the state of the art in climate research and assess the potential impacts of climate change on the environment, society and economy. The Ministries reaffirm their support for the IPCC as an essential scientific foundation of climate policy. Both Ministers attach particular importance to the public credibility of the IPCC because of its key role in national and international climate policy.
The designated lead authors from about 90 countries are each responsible for individual chapters and sections. They are supported by a team of review editors. These editors have the task of reviewing the quality of the reports in the drafting phase and ensuring that comments from external experts and government representatives are given due consideration. The lead authors also appoint additional authors who contribute their expertise on specific topics.