WRI’s Jennifer Morgan Responds to InterAgency Council Review of the IPCC

The InterAcademy Council (IAC) released a report today detailing its findings on the processes and procedures of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report, “Climate Change Assessments: Review of the Processes and Procedures of the IPCC,” found that the IPCC has been “successful overall,” but it needs to continue to adapt to “changing conditions in order to continue serving society well in the future.”

Following is a statement by Jennifer Morgan, WRI’s program director for climate and energy, in response to these findings:

“Importantly, this review found no evidence that alters the fundamental conclusions of the IPCC that climate change is occurring and it is ‘very likely’ caused by human activity. These conclusions have been recently reaffirmed by several leading scientific authorities, including the National Academy of Sciences.

“The recommendations of the IAC will help bolster confidence in the IPCC – which is comprised of thousands of the world’s leading climate scientists – and will ensure that the IPCC continues to be a leading source of scientific information on climate change.

“Around the world, we are witnessing the types of events consistent with climate models — from wildfires in Russia to massive flooding in Pakistan— that will become even more frequent if we do not take action to reduce climate change. The world must now focus on the serious business of finding practical solutions to the climate crisis.”