Authors and Review Editors for the next major IPCC climate report include Global South experts who receive Degrees Initiative funding.
The IPCC, the UN body responsible for assessing the science related to climate change, has announced the contributors for its seventh Assessment Report (AR7) this week.
The selected researchers will summarise the thousands of climate papers published every year, describing what is known about the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks.
The latest cohort includes 14 authors and editors that receive funding from the Degrees Initiative to study how solar radiation modification (SRM) could affect their regions.
These researchers come from varied climate and social science backgrounds, including in hydrology, atmospheric chemistry and anthropology, and have added SRM studies to their work as the topic gains more interest around the world.
With climate impacts accelerating and national contributions falling short of achieving the ambitious Paris Agreement goal of keeping the world below 1.5°C warming, AR7 is expected to include assessments of SRM as a potential mitigation measure for the first time.
Degrees Initiative CEO and founder Andy Parker said: “Degrees supports SRM research in low- and middle-income countries so that climate researchers can ask their own questions, develop their own expertise, and ensure that there is an informed Southern voice wherever SRM is discussed.”
“Huge congratulations to the 14 Degrees-funded researchers from the Global South who will be working on AR7, where we know their expertise in climate science and SRM will provide invaluable contributions.”
Andy Parker
CEO and Founder, The Degrees Initiative
One of the new authors, Dr Pornampai (Ping-Ping) Narenpitak, from the National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand, said: “To me, taking on this role is a meaningful opportunity to contribute not only to the climate science community, but also to policymakers and others who rely on the IPCC’s reports. It’s a chance to help bridge the gap between scientific findings and real-world climate-related decisions, and to broaden the impact of our collective efforts.”
Some of the researchers, such as Prof. Govindasamy Bala from the Indian Institute of Science, have contributed to previous Assessment Reports. He said: “I feel honoured and delighted to serve for the third time to join the largest international team effort to assess the science and impacts of climate change.”
Including previous and current contributors, a total of 27 Degrees-funded researchers have been authors or editors on IPCC reports. In addition, many of Degrees’ research collaborators, who have volunteered their time to help build our research programme, are authors on the AR7 report.
The 14 Degrees-funded researchers who will be working on AR7 are:
- Prof. Inés Camilloni, University of Buenos Aires & CONICET, Argentina
Vice-Chair – Working Group 1
Review Editor – Working Group 1, Chapter 9: Earth system responses under pathways towards temperature stabilization, including overshoot pathways - Prof. Nana Ama Brown Klutse, University of Ghana
Vice-Chair – Working Group 1
Review Editor – Working Group 1, Chapter 8: Abrupt changes, low-likelihood high impact events and critical thresholds, including tipping points, in the Earth system - Prof. Arona Diedhiou, Institut of Research for Development, Côte d’Ivoire
Coordinating Lead Author – Working Group 1, Chapter 3: Changes in regional climate and extremes, and their causes - Dr Francis Nkrumah, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Review Editor – Working Group 1, Chapter 3: Changes in regional climate and extremes, and their causes - Prof. Alfonso Fernández, Universidad de Concepción, Chile
Lead Author – Working Group 1, Chapter 6: Global projections of Earth system responses across time scales - Dr Chris Lennard, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Lead Author – Working Group 1, Chapter 9: Earth system responses under pathways towards temperature stabilization, including overshoot pathways - Dr Pornampai (Ping-Ping) Narenpitak, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand
Lead Author – Working Group 1, Chapter 9: Earth system responses under pathways towards temperature stabilization, including overshoot pathways - Prof. Govindasamy Bala, Indian Institute of Science
Review Editor – Working Group 1, Chapter 9: Earth system responses under pathways towards temperature stabilization, including overshoot pathways - Prof. Pedro Roberto Jacobi, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Review Editor – Working Group 2, Chapter 2: Vulnerabilities, impacts and risks - Dr Temitope Samuel Egbebiyi, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Lead Author – Working Group 2, Chapter 2: Vulnerabilities, impacts and risks - Dr María Inés Carabajal, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Lead Author – Working Group 2, Chapter 4: Adaptation options and conditions for accelerating action - Dr Francisco Estrada Porrúa, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico
Lead Author – Working Group 2, Chapter 4: Adaptation options and conditions for accelerating action - Dr Portia Adade Williams, Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, Ghana
Lead Author – Working Group 2: Technical Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation including Indicators, Metrics and Methodologies - Dr Luckson Zvobgo, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Lead Author – Working Group 2: Technical Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation including Indicators, Metrics and Methodologies
