全球变化知识资源中心

As the preeminent authority on the science of climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ("IPCC") plays a key role in international climate negotiations and sub-global climate policy. The shift in the international climate regime brought about by the Paris Agreement has created new challenges and new opportunities for the IPCC. However, many of the questions facing the IPCC today, both about the role of science in politics and about how the IPCC should balance its independence against its obligations to various stake-holders, have their roots in tensions as old as the organization itself Through an examination of the interplay between science and politics in the early IPCC and an exploration of several case studies if IPCC Special Reports, this Note seeks to draw lessons from past experience. It argues for a broad understanding of the IPCC's role that includes solution-oriented science, increased interplay between-though not blending of-science and politics, and continued interaction with stakeholders outside of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also highlights the value of timely reports and provides insight into how the timing of reports can influence negotiations. Finally, it seeks to apply the lessons learned from the IPCC's history to help answer the question of how the IPCC should modify its assessment cycle and work products to align with the quinquennial Global Stocktake process required by the Paris Agreement.