Sweden hosts IPCC Lead Author Meeting on Global Warming of 1.5ºC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will hold the third Lead Author Meeting for the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC in Malmö on 23-27 October. The IPCC provides policymakers around the world with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, involving hundreds of researchers and experts in the process. Isabella Lövin, the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, will open the meeting on 23 October.

The IPCC is made up of 195 member countries and regularly assesses the body of current international research on climate change. This involves leading researchers and experts from all over the world, who review thousands of scientific papers to summarize the current international scientific basis of climate change. The resulting reports are important inputs in international climate negotiations and provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate-related policies.

The Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate Opens the Meeting

From Monday 23rd to Friday 27th October, Sweden will host the third Lead Author Meeting for the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC. Some 120 international researchers and experts will gather in Malmö to work on the contents of the report. The meeting will be opened by the Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, Isabella Lövin.

-Sweden took an early initiative to host the meeting as one means of supporting the IPCC’s work. Climate research plays a very important role in providing policymakers and other societal actors with a clear view of relevant challenges and which actions are needed, says Isabella Lövin.

In her opening statement, Isabella Lövin will talk about climate research as a basis for political decision-making and actions.

The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC

The Report is part of the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle which will produce three Special Reports, a Methodology Report on national greenhouse gas inventories and the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The first Special Report focuses on global warming of 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels. This report is due to be completed in October 2018.

-The Special Report on 1.5 ºC is being prepared in response to an invitation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2015. The report will be wide-ranging, assessing possible ways for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, as well as considering these issues in the broader context of sustainable development, explains Climate Advisor and Sweden’s IPCC Focal Point Markku Rummukainen.

-For SMHI – the Swedish expert agency for climate research – the role as national liaison for IPCC is important. This role is a clear example of international cooperation which is vital in the climate field. One of SMHI’s missions is to provide decision-makers with scientifically-based information, a mission that reflects on everything that we do, adds Director General Rolf Brennerfelt.

During the Lead Author Meeting, a number of local climate events will be held. These events are arranged by Lund University, Malmö University and Klimatsamverkan Skåne.

PRESS BRIEFING AND OPENING CEREMONY

Date: Monday 23 October, 2017

Venue: Malmömässan, Mässgatan 6

Time (press briefing): 09:00-10:00

Time (opening ceremony): 10:00-11:00

Please bring proof of identity to Malmömässan

Members of the press are invited to a press briefing on Monday 23 October. The Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate Isabella Lövin, SMHI’s Director General Rolf Brennerfelt, Sweden’s IPCC’s Focal Point Markku Rummukainen, the IPCC Vice-Chair Thelma Krug and the IPCC Working Group 1 Co-Chair Valérie Masson-Delmotte will attend the press briefing. The participants will talk about the IPCC, climate change and the Lead Author Meeting from their respective roles. Time for interviews has been set aside after the general briefing.

The opening ceremony starts at 10:00 and members of the press are also welcome to attend. In addition to the press briefing representatives, Skåne County Governor Anneli Hulthén and Mayor of Malmö Kent Andersson will attend the opening ceremony.

Those wishing to attend the press briefing and/or opening ceremony should inform isa.alt-akermark@smhi.se or +46 11 459 83 48 no later than 14:00 on 19 October.

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SMHI, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, is an expert agency under the Ministry of the Environment and Energy. Through expertise in meteorology, hydrology, oceanography and climatology, SMHI contributes towards greater public welfare, increased safety and a sustainable society.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.