The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) approved the Synthesis Report (SYR) concluding its sixth assessment cycle. Providing an overview of the state of knowledge on climate change, the SYR outlines a wide range of actions that can be taken now to prevent catastrophic warming and to support adaptation to those changes that are unavoidable.

Delegates to the 58th session of the IPCC (IPCC-58), which convened in Interlaken, Switzerland, from 13-19 March 2023, also conducted line-by-line review of the Summary for Policymakers (SPM). The SPM “captures the most essential insights of the SYR and is expected to be the most widely read of the IPCC’s outputs,” the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) analysis of the meeting notes.

The Panel’s outputs will inform work under the UNFCCC, with all of the outputs from its sixth assessment cycle feeding into the Global Stocktake (GST), mandated to take place every five years under the Paris Agreement on climate change. The first GST, which is expected to conclude at the UN Climate Change Conference in December, will assess the world’s collective progress in meeting the Paris Agreement goals.

IPCC-58 concluded 49 hours past its scheduled end, resulting in “a striking imbalance in the negotiating room.” The unscheduled extension of the meeting led to a “lack of inclusivity” as many delegates from developing countries were unable to change their travel plans and had to leave. Some participants recommended planning in advance for longer approval sessions to ensure that all delegates are able to participate. “The approvals run over every single time; the simplest solution would be to allow delegates the days that are needed to do the job,” one delegate suggested.

The ENB analysis also indicates that “lack of inclusivity has been a recurring theme in the work of the IPCC, from concerns about gender and geographic representation among the authors to claims of a hostile work environment within the Technical Support Unit.” This “raises significant questions about how the IPCC should proceed as it moves into its seventh assessment cycle.”

At the same time, IPCC-58 reflected many different voices, with no single delegation dominating discussions and the issues raised reflecting an array of considerations. While the “strict adherence to previously reviewed and approved outputs” prevented the inclusion of new concerns such as “black carbon” or geopolitical changes, these limitations “reflect the meticulous nature of the IPCC’s review procedures, as well as its core purpose: to produce trusted, reliable, rigorous reports that can provide the basis for robust action.” [ENB Coverage of IPCC-58]