27 March 2009: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Secretariat has released new documents for its 30th session, which will take place from 21-23 April 2009, in Antalya, Turkey. The meeting will focus on the future of the IPCC, in particular the scoping of the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5).

Documents for the session include the report of the Task Group on the future of IPCC, with suggestions to help the production of the AR5 and proposals for two expert meetings submitted by Co-Chairs of IPCC Working Groups I and II. The first proposed expert meeting relates to assessing and combining multi-model climate projections, and would explore the possibility of establishing a framework for using and assessing the AR5 model set to enhance interaction between Working Groups I and II. The other proposed expert meeting would address detection and attribution related to anthropogenic climate change.
Among the new documents are also those on IPCC Observer Organizations and on a possibility of granting the European Community (EC) with Special Observer Status as a Regional Economic Integration Organization (REIO). At the IPCC’s 29th Session, the EC presented a proposal to grant special observer status to REIOs that are parties to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The document prepared by the Secretariat collates results of informal consultations and comments from governments on this proposal. The Secretariat also prepared a draft Trust deed, following the decision of IPCC 29 to set up the scholarship fund for climate change research with the funds from the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, new documents for IPCC 30 include the report of the workshop “New Science Directions and Activities Relevant to the AR5 of the IPCC.” The workshop, jointly organized by the IPCC, World Climate Research Programme and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, took place from 3-6 March 2009, at the University of Hawaii, in Honolulu, Hawaii. [Meeting Website]