State-of-the-art scientific assessment of global climate change
The IPCC's 'Special Report – Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX)' was released in November 2011. It suggests integrating expertise in climate science, disaster risk management and adaptation in order to reduce and manage extreme event threats. As a result, the EU-funded project IPCCAR5(opens in new window) (Support in preparation of the IPCC 5th Assessment Report) was set up to encourage the participation of experts from developing countries and Member States with economies in transition. This facilitated the drafting, reviewing and approval of a comprehensive and truly global IPCC Annual Report, the AR5. The AR5 places particular emphasis on assessing the socioeconomic aspects of climate change and its implications for sustainable development. There is also a strong regional focus on the causes, impacts, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. The AR5 is the most comprehensive assessment of scientific knowledge on climate change since the release of the AR4 in 2007. It includes the full reports prepared by three working groups and their summaries for policymakers, as well as the Synthesis Report. This Report integrates material contained within the working group reports and special reports. It targets policymakers and addresses a broad range of policy-relevant questions. Released in four instalments between September 2013 and November 2014, more than 830 authors representing over 80 countries worked on the AR5. Several expert meetings and workshops were held to facilitate and support the assessment process. These events helped to identify cross-cutting themes and methodologies for the working groups. With its latest and most thorough multi-volume assessment report to date, the IPCCAR5 played an important role in shaping the world's climate policies.
