Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Acronyms
IPCC

Description
1. The leading body for the assessment of climate change, established by the (UNEP) and the (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences.

The IPCC is a scientific body. It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. It does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters. Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a voluntary basis. Review is an essential part of the IPCC process, to ensure an objective and complete assessment of current information. Differing viewpoints existing within the scientific community are reflected in the IPCC reports.

The IPCC is an intergovernmental body, and it is open to all member countries of UN and WMO. The work of the organization is therefore policy-relevant and yet policy-neutral, never policy-prescriptive. (IPCC, 2009)

Reference List
IPCC, 2009, Organization, http://www.ipcc.ch/organization/organization.htm, accessed 11/11/2009.