Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - Assignment Example

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change al Affiliation) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate ChangeIntroduction The climate has constantly changed all through time and more so in the last five decades. Over the years, people have noticed the climatic change and constantly looked for ways to assess and give sufficient data that will help understand this change. The possible impact of climatic change on the environment and the socio-economic status of different countries sparked off the minds of leaders in the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to come together to form a body known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Change (IPCC) (IPCC, 2012). The main reason for its establishment was to shed light and give sufficient information on the impact of climatic change on the environment and the economy. The environmental risks are mainly from human activities where the environment suffers blows from the toxic wastes emitted and cause soil degradation and air pollution (Bulkeley, 2001).The IPCC issues reports compiled by scientists who through extensive research come up with concrete facts concerning the climatic change. In turn, help the leaders of the member states make the important decisions concerning the climate. The IPCC has progressed since its birth and has 195 countries under its wing because the UN and WMO member states are free to join (Cubasch, et al., 2007). Ecology is a more holistic view of the environment and represents a much larger area not just the human society. This makes the conservation of the environment paramount (Fikret, 1999).The main role and contribution of the IPCC towards climate change are the critical issues that this paper will address including showing the link between its interests and values, then, its advocacy and positions and how far I support its views. The Role of the IPCC and its contribution to the debate on climate change The IPCC takes the data compiled by the scientists then they evaluate the information, after which they give it to the relevant policy makers in its member countries to help them in decision-making. The data is usually scientific and technical to help better understand the possible impact of climate change and the risks that come with it (Christ, 2008). They also give scientific and technical advice to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a convention that deals with stabilizing the concentration of the greenhouse gases in order to stop the anthropogenic interference in the climatic system. (UN, 2002). However, the IPCC does not carry out any new research nor follow up on the climate related parameters, but it only reviews the already published literature that is peer-reviewed and then come up with the relevant conclusions that are later on published as the IPCC Assessment reports (IPCC, 2012). The main aim is to provide information in a non-biased, factual way other than a prescriptive way. The IPCC issues the Assessment reports every seven years. Three groups write these reports and each chapter has its own lead author, who coordinates with the lead author team. They have over 2000 scientists all over the world with expertise in climate change and Review editors who help in releasing the reports. Each team represents a specific line of thought in terms of the skills and the geographical depiction. The reports undergo keen scrutiny and represent the thoughts of many scientists in the climate field all over the world (IPCC, 2012). The IPCC has compiled substantial facts on climate change that they publish in the Assessment reports. In 2006, they released a report that showed the increase of the ocean’s temperature over the last five decades. These findings helped shed light on the fact that the oceans play a major role in heating up the atmosphere regardless of the greenhouse gases since they already absorbed the heat from the atmosphere. The scientists say the temperatures will continue to escalate in the decades to come (PEW center, 2007). The information given is fundamental to the policy makers to see the risks of not stabilizing the greenhouse gases sooner rather than later. The reports have shown that man has played a big role in climate change. They have come up with reports that explain the scientific theories that help people understand the physical reality. In 2007, the IPCC received the Nobel Peace Prize for its strive to gradually accumulate and giving important knowledge and information about the human participation in climate change and laying the necessary foundations under which steps can be taken to combat the climate change (Hulme & Mahony , 2010). The connection between the IPCC values and interests The connection between its values and interests is clear and vivid. The work that the IPCC reviews then reproduce has to be comprehensive, comprising of the current scientific and socio-economic facts keenly assessed worldwide (Christ, 2008). In scientific research, every theory is tested and retested in order for the result to be as close to the hypothesis as possible. Science is cumulative hence; it provides facts that are closer to the truth. In order for the IPCC to achieve comprehensive results, they divide the reviews into three workgroups. The first Workgroup is Working Group 1, which deals with the climate change, and how the climate system is, based on the physical science. The causative agents that lead to climate change and lastly the observed and the future projections of the climate change. The Working Group 2 deals with showing the weaknesses of the natural and man’s systems, the actual and future projections of the impacts and responses to the observed and projections of the Climate Change. Working Group 3 deals with reducing the intensity or severity of the effects of the climate change (Christ, 2008). These working groups ensure a thorough review of the data on every aspect to reduce chances of error and speculation. Therefore, this gives a comprehensive report. The IPCC disseminates a balanced report, which has a wide range of differing views throughout the world shown in the reports. Author teams, whereby the authors are from different countries all over the world write these reports. The authors represent a wide scope of views and lines of thinking and the relevant geographical representation. The authors undergo selection through a nomination process that covers a wide area and aims at maintaining gender balance. The authors and experts bring forth their work and expertise on a voluntary basis and the only compensation they receive is the travel expenses for the meetings. Volunteering helps in making the work unbiased (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2010). The Panel strives to be open in its dealings, especially the selection of the personnel throughout the world. In the latest report, which is AR5, has 450 Lead authors who from 2000 nominations they were selected. The selection process is thorough, widespread and unbiased since it also strives to achieve gender equality. The purpose of the nominations is to provide a wider platform for recruitment (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2010). The IPCC follows strict protocols so as they can achieve transparency in their reports. The review undergoes multiple stages, in order to attain the best possible results of the process to give the best technical and scientific advice (Saibante, 2008). First, there is the draft report, then sent to every independent expert in every field and from the different regions. The second part involves sending the draft report to the different government reviewers. The two sets of experts in both stages can send comments afterwards on the draft report. The process has a wide circulation, so in essence any expert is free to join. Then two editors review a chapter and put into consideration the independent expert and the government comments. The report therefore is balanced and has the full assessment it deserves. In order to achieve transparency they also make the comments available during the review process to the reviewers. Five years after the review process is finished, the comments are in an open archive for viewing (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2010). The connection between IPCC’s Advocacy Positions and Its Use of Science The IPCC advocates for the safety of the environment and the negative impact that the climate change has on the environment. There is a connection between its advocacy position and its use of science. The panel has clearly stood its ground and ascertained that the environment has slowly been deteriorating due to human activities, which over time have released greenhouse gases and increased the global surface temperature. They continue further and show how the future might be like if this trend continues (Johnston, 2010). The panel gives relevant information to the policy makers in different governments to help understand better the impacts of the greenhouse gases. The information provided is scientific in nature and provides the governments with ways to curb the emission of the greenhouse gases. Their stance on the matter has been to provide information on the climate change, which is human induced and the options available for the necessary mitigation measures. These policies will help put in check the people and the organizations responsible for damaging the environment (Dovers, 2005). The IPCC has over 2000 scientists at its disposal who review the data that goes to them from different geographical regions. These scientists then review the peer-reviewed work to provide a conclusive report. The information on climate change in the AR4 indicated that man has played the largest part and has affected the economy and the environment in the process (The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2007). The policies that affect social development, can also be integrated with the climate change policies and later add on to stable, sustainable growth in different economies throughout the world (Gupta & Tirpak, 2007). The scientific data reviewed by the IPCC covers various technologies and mitigation measures from different sectors. The data is normally from checking the regions in which the data is from, checking whether there is an increase in the temperature leading to climate change. Checking the polar ice sheets if they are stable or not in the Greenland region. It also covers the clouds and other dispersal agents like aerosols to provide relevant information to show the processes in the cloud. The carbon cycle and the biogeochemical cycle are also part of the important data reviewed which tell whether there is an increase in the greenhouse gases. Lastly, checking the data of how climate across different regions is changing. The IPCC has clearly shown what it advocates for and the connection it has with the use of science. The Extent to which I Support Its Views I agree with the IPCC’s point of view upon some policies. For instance, the stance it has taken to show us how humankind has majorly contributed to the Climate Change over the years. Then they came up with a solution that involved the whole world since the atmosphere does not just belong to a single nation. The task of researching and implementing the necessary changes is too taxing for a single nation to do it by it alone. Through international cooperation, nations stand a better chance of understanding the Climate Change and the best possible solutions that are at hand. I am also in agreement with the IPCC on the issue of their rules that govern their mode of operation. Transparency is one of the key components of the IPCC. Transparency in any organization is important for there to be growth since everything undertaken by the organization is readily available and open to the relevant parties for scrutiny. It is unbiased in its reports because the reports, which pass through different experts from all over the world and they all, have to agree on the matter. It is also open and even in the recruitment process the candidates volunteer and the selection is from 2000 nominations. The reports published are comprehensive. They cover all the areas necessary and relevant to climate change, therefore, not leaving any stone unturned and the information published will be enough to convince the policy makers to make the right decision in helping curb climate change. However, even though the panel is in the right direction, some of the information is still speculative and they do not have the relevant facts to back that up. In the case of improving the economy of both developing and developed countries, I think that is a bit too far-fetched. The developing countries do not have as much greenhouse gas emissions in their atmosphere as the developed countries. The relation between economic growth and the Climate Change is yet to be clear since the developing countries need more policies that affect directly their economy and the citizens. Conclusion The IPCC is a Panel that has the right intentions when it comes to saving the environment. Its aim is to review existing scientific literature draw the necessary conclusions, then give the knowledge to the relevant parties. The IPCC is a body that represents countries that are in one accord when it comes to Climate Change. Therefore, this implies that they are ready to carry out the factual findings of the IPCC to help reduce the severity of the greenhouse gases. It is important to bear in mind that it does not carry out the research nor monitor the climatic changes, but uses the scientists to review the data that is already there. Therefore, this still leaves some room for error because the information is secondary and there is a possibility that it can have some falsehoods (The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency , 2010) . There are some speculations by some governments and groups who believe that the IPCC does not provide the necessary information (Reiner, 2007). At the same time, this does not mean that the panel is not in the right direction. It is providing key information that will help put strategies in place to reduce the impacts of climate change and giving the ecosystem ample time to get back to normal. References Bulkeley, H. (2001). 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The Role of the IPCC and Key Elemnets of the IPCC assessment Process. IPCC. Geneva: IPCC-Secretariat. IPCC. (2012). The Intergovernmnetal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fact Sheet. Australian Government. Canberra: Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency. Johnston, J. S. (2010). Global Warming Advocacy Science: A Cross Examination. University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. PEW center. (2007). The Science and Impacts. Climate Change 101, 1(1), 1-7. Reiner, G. (2007). Climate Change and Knowledge Politics. Environmental Politics, 16(3), 414-432. Saibante, C. (2008). An Introduction to the IPCC. IPCC. Warsaw: IPCC secretariat. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency . (2010). Assessing an IPCC Assessment: An Analysis of Statements on Projected Regional Impacts in the 2007 Report. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency . Hague: PBL Publications. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2007). Uniting on Climate. UNFCCC. Bonn: UNFCCC Secretariat. UN. (2002). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. UN. New York: UN. Read More