The Intergovernmental Protocol on Climate Change (IPCC)
ECI lead researcher: Prof Diana Liverman | e:ecidirector@ouce.ox.ac.uk
Oxford University scientists have played a key role in writing and reviewing past and current IPCC reports with over ten academics authoring chapters in the latest revision and many more involved in the reviewing process. In October 2007 the efforts of these, and other contributors around the world, were acknowledged with the award of a noble peace prize for their contribution towards understanding climate change.
The IPCC reports represent a global accumulation of knowledge and understanding on climate change and are split into three distinct parts:
- Working Group 1: The Physical Science Basis
- Working Group 2: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
- Working Group 3: Mitigation of Climate Change
Professor Diana Liverman, Director of the ECI, contributed to the Working Group 2 report: Climate Impacts, Adaptation and Vlunerability. She has recently published two critiques of the process, which ask whether these findings tell us much about how policy should be applied.
Diana’s research highlights some aspects of the reports that pose problems for policymaking. This includes the poor representation of precipitation changes in a warming climate, and in particular, the uncertainty of the direction of this change in critical regions such as African and the Amazon.
In her review of Working Group 2, Diana highlights the areas needing more research. In particular the observational bias towards data collection in the northern hemisphere and the lack of consistent approach (essential for comparatives) in the methods used to collect the data. Read Diana Liverman’s full review of the IPCC reports.
Oxford University is involved in further research aimed to help decision-makers untangle complex scientific research:
- Dr Dave Frame published a recent paper on the uncertainty of using climate sensitivity as a tool for setting policy emissions caps. He suggests that policy should be adaptive with moveable targets. Read more
- Dr Myles Allen and Dhaiti Stone are examining the questions of attribution of climate change. Who is liable?
- Funding from the Oxford Martin School has enabled a group of distinguished senior fellows to work on climate governance and policy issues at the ECI. Read more about their work.
Links and recent publications:
- Liverman D, (2007) From Uncertain to Unequivocal. Environment, Vol 49, No.8.
- Liverman D.M. 2007. Assessing Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Reflections on the Working Group II Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Global Environmental Change (in press)
- Allen, M., Frame, D. (2007) Abandon the Quest! Uncertainty in climate sensitivity—the long-term warming response to doubling carbon dioxide may not be a problem after all, unless the politicians choose to turn it into one. Science Vol 318. p582-583
- Oxford Martin School