January 2010: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has invited governments and participating organizations to nominate experts to act as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors for the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). The nomination period is open from 15 January to 12 March 2010. The IPCC largely relies on focal points to identify experts in their country or organization to act as authors and editors for the Panel’s assessment reports. Lead Authors are responsible for the production of designated sections of the reports on the basis of the available scientific, technical and socioeconomic information, and Coordinating Lead Authors take the overall responsibility for coordinating major sections of a report. Review Editors ensure that all substantive expert and government review comments are afforded appropriate consideration.
The selection of experts will be carried out by the Working Group Bureaux and finalized at the next session of the IPCC Bureau in May 2010. The IPCC will then inform governments on the outcomes of the selection exercise. [AR5 Process]