International Organizations - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

An international intergovernmental organization is an entity formed by the governments of various foreign countries to coordinate government policy and/or action on targeted issues. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one type of an international organization.

Formation/Members

The IPCC was established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 1988. Membership is open to any country that is already a member of the WMO or UNEP.

Purpose and Activities

The objectives of the IPCC are to compile and assess information on climate change. It does not, however, do its own research or monitoring; it merely synthesizes materials prepared by others. The IPCC then prepares reports on climate change and disseminate those reports. The IPCC publishes Special Reports and Technical Papers, among other things, and distributes many materials free of charge.

Structure

The IPCC is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The IPCC has a Panel that meets annually to decide on the organization's policy, programs, and budget. Panel meetings are attended by representatives from IPCC member governments and by climate change experts from around the globe. The Panel elects the head of the organization, the IPCC Chair, and elects members of the IPCC Bureau. The Bureau meets two to three times a year and carries out the policy and programs as set by the Panel. Bureau members are typically elected for a term of five to six years, or the time it takes the organization to prepare an Assessment Report on the current state of climate change.

Like most international organizations, the IPCC also has a permanent administrative Secretariat. The Secretariat organizes meetings held by the Panel, Working Groups, and other bodies of the IPCC.

The IPCC has three Working Groups. One is dedicated to assessing the scientific aspects of climate change, another assesses the impact of climate change on socio-economic and natural systems, and the third assesses ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions. A Task Force also addresses the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. The Working Groups and the Task Force all have Technical Support Units.