IPCC Working Group III
| The IPCC has issued astatement on the melting of the Himalayan glaciers on 20 January 2010. It refers to poorly substantiated estimates of rate of recession and date for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers in a paragraph of the the 938-page Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Assessment Report 4 (AR4). Ottmar Edenhofer, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III and Deputy Director of PIK, has made a number of press statements on this issue. On 25 January 2010 the IPCC issued a statement on trends in disaster losses refuting critique raised on this issue. |
The Working Group III (WG III) of the IPCC focuses its work on the mitigation of climate change. The IPCC has the responsibility of providing policy makers with objective scientific and technical findings that are policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. The IPCC is aimed at serving as an honest broker between science and policy makers and other relevant stakeholders. The IPCC WG III assesses all relevant options for mitigating climate change through limiting or preventing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing activities that remove them from the atmosphere. WG III analyses the costs, benefits and risks of the different approaches to mitigation, considering also the available domestic instruments and policy measures as well as international arrangements. The WG III is Co-Chaired by Ottmar Edenhofer, Youba Sokona and Ramon Pichs. Patrick Matschoss is the Head of the Technical Support Unit (TSU).
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At regular intervals, the IPCC presents comprehensive scientific assessments of the existing scientific, technical and socioeconomic literature on climate change. The broad and geographically-balanced participation of experts from all relevant fields of knowledge and the rigorous and transparent multi-stage review process result in authoritative and unbiased reports. The Forth Assessment Report (AR4) has been published in 2007 and the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) will be finalized in 2014. To provide the best scientific knowledge to stakeholders, the IPCC WG III is leading a number of activities such as the publication of Special Reports and hosting expert meetings. |
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| Special Reports One of these activities is the publication of a Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN). As shown in the AR4, renewable energy sources can make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation as early as 2030. The SRREN aims at a comprehensive assessment of renewable energy technologies and related policy and financial instruments by providing substantial new information, analyses, and evidence reported in the literature on the technological development and deployment, regional assessments, environmental, socioeconomic and sustainability impacts, cost reductions, and the practical experience with the implementation of renewable energies. The SRREN will be finalized and published in late 2010. |
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| Expert Meetings and Workshops In addition, WG III takes the lead on a number of Expert Meetings and Workshops. The Expert Meeting Modeling Renewable Energies: Coherence Between Model Assumptions and Latest Technological Knowledge will feed directly into the SRREN, with the aim of enhancing the coherence of the report. It will be held from August 30-31st, 2009 in Oslo, Norway as a back-to-back with the LA2 Meeting of the SRREN. |
The IPCC WG III TSU plays a strong scientific leadership role in Expert Meetings, Special Reports, and the Fifth Assessment Report, as well as in management of the complex communications and implementation activities associated with IPCC. It facilitates the work of the hundreds of volunteer authors and participants who contribute to these products, and ensures wide dissemination of the findings to a broad range of audiences – from the general public to the scientific community, decision makers and an array of other stakeholders. The TSU is housed at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Potsdam, Germany. |
