Global warming: tensions at a meeting of IPCC scientists

At Giec, we do our best to reach a consensus. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we move slightly in different directions,” declared Jim Skea, the president of the group of scientists, acknowledging divisions. “But I believe that the spirit of compromise and flexibility inherent to Giec has finally been demonstrated,” he assured, at the close of the expert working session in Bangkok, according to a press release from the organization.

The meeting of scientists and government representatives, from Tuesday to Friday, was primarily technical for this group gathering experts from around the world. They publish assessment reports every five to seven years, serving as a benchmark for climate science. But a contentious issue of scheduling was added to the agenda this week at the request of Saudi Arabia and India, risking blocking the meeting, according to diplomatic sources.

Divergences on the schedule

This schedule deeply divides countries. Some want the next IPCC report to be published by 2028 to inform COP33, which will likely take place in India, and produce the crucial “global assessment” of climate efforts since the Paris Agreement. Their argument is that policymakers have the best scientific information to take ambitious action.

But other countries like India, Saudi Arabia, or China oppose this and prefer the report to be published in 2029, citing the need to take time to integrate new scientific data and research from developing countries. “Some of the arguments are clearly quibbles,” lamented a government source from a developing country in December.