3 December 2014: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) organized a side event on ‘The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5): A User’s Perspective.’ Held on the sidelines of the Lima Climate Change Conference, the event presented ways the AR5 is put to practice by policymakers, business and civil society and explored ideas for making it more user-friendly.

Nebojsa Nakicenovic, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), shared a science and engineering stakeholder’s view, noting that IPCC assessments are salient, credible, legitimate and policy relevant. He focused on the IIASA’s energy sector assessment, highlighting key energy challenges and goals. He also described different carbon dioxide (CO2) emission scenarios from the First Assessment Report (FAR) through AR5.

David Hone, Chief Climate Change Adviser, Shell Research Ltd, delivered an industry perspective. Underscoring that existing and near-term infrastructure may “lock-in” fossil fuel use, he focused on the ability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to address future challenges. He noted that CCS returns carbon to the geosphere, creates no geographical or temporal shift effect and has global benefits, even with limited local actions.

Enrique Maurtua Konstantinidis, Climate Action Network Latin America (CANLA), gave a civil society perspective. He said phasing out all fossil fuels and replacing them with renewable energy is the way to achieve sustainable development. He said CAN promotes government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels, including by making the scientific message of AR5 accessible to a wider audience.

Presenting on outreach events in South Africa following the publication of the AR5 and its Synthesis Report (SYR), Rabelani Tshikalanke, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa, stressed that Africa will be seriously affected by climate change because of its vulnerability and the economic status quo. He recommended capacity building to enhance participation of developing countries in the IPCC and stressed numerous challenges including, inter alia: poor communication between IPCC focal points and scientists on the ground; lack of local expertise; financial support; and availability of data for research purposes.

During discussions, participants addressed, inter alia: potential problems associated with CCS and whether the technology addresses symptoms rather than causes and ways to close gaps among scientists, engineers and policy makers. [IISD RS ENBOTS Coverage] [IISD RS Coverage of Lima Climate Change Conference] [IPCC Website] [WMO Website]