11 February 2016: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) held an Expert Meeting on Communication, which aimed to: strengthen communications as it begins work on its next cycle of reports; develop recommendations to present to the Panel to ensure IPCC reports are more readable, accessible and policy-relevant; and consider how the IPCC can work more effectively with external stakeholders, such as research institutions, NGOs and the media to strengthen their communications on the IPCC and climate science.

At IPCC 41, which convened in Nairobi, Kenya, in February 2015, the Norwegian Environment Agency offered to host a meeting where experts, IPCC focal points and other IPCC representatives could share experiences, best practices and lessons learned from the communication and outreach activities of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), which was released in 2014, and to inform the communication of the upcoming Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The Expert Meeting, which convened on 9-10 February 2016 in Oslo, Norway, brought together about 50 experts from governments, civil society, the research community, media, business, faith groups, and present and former members of the IPCC Bureau and Technical Support Units (TSUs) that worked on the AR5 or will be working on the AR6.

The meeting had on its agenda, inter alia: constraints and opportunities related to IPCC communication issues; communications lessons from AR5 authors, and identifying areas for improvement; lessons from AR5 outreach in both developed and developing countries with representatives of governments and NGOs; communicating AR6 findings to teenagers and young people; how the IPCC can reach new stakeholder groups; innovative communications products; the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Study on Communicating AR5; training scientists in presentations for non-specialists; and how to address misinformation and misconceptions. The meeting also discussed recommendations going forward, including: resource implications; how to improve readability, clarity and policy relevance of IPCC reports; communications with stakeholders; and communications with and through the media.

In a statement to the meeting, IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee stressed the importance of ensuring that non-specialists can follow the IPCC reports and that policymakers and other users can find and use what is relevant to them.

A report of the expert meeting will be available in advance of IPCC 43 with actionable and practical recommendations for AR6, including lessons learned from the AR5 authors and co-chairs on the development and communication of AR5, the communications team, governments, NGOs and communications experts. The outcomes will also inform the review of the IPCC Communications Strategy that will be undertaken following the election of a new Bureau.

The 43rd session of the IPCC will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, on 11-13 April 2016, when the Panel will begin work on the AR6.

The various contributions of the Working Groups (WGs) of the IPCC to the AR5 were approved in 2013 and 2014. The contribution of WGI on the physical science basis was approved in September 2013, in Stockholm, Sweden. The contribution of WGII on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability was approved in Yokohama, Japan, in March 2014. The Contribution of WGIII on mitigation of climate change was approved in Berlin, Germany, in April 2014. The Synthesis Report (SYR) of the AR5 was adopted in November 2014, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In October 2015, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, the IPCC elected the members of the IPCC Bureau and the Task Force Bureau (TFB), including the IPCC Chair, IPCC Vice-Chairs, Co-Chairs of the WGs and TFB, Vice-Chairs of the WGs and TFB members. Hoesung Lee (Republic of Korea) was elected as IPCC Chair for the sixth assessment cycle. [Expert Meeting on Communication Website] [Meeting Programme] [IPCC Press Release] [Scoping Paper for Expert Meeting] [IISD RS Coverage of the April 2015 Session of the IPCC] [IISD RS Coverage of the March 2015 Session of the IPCC] [IISD RS Coverage of the September 2013 Session of the IPCC] [IISD RS Coverage of the November 2014 Session of the IPCC] [IISD RS Coverage of the October 2015 Session of the IPCC]