IPCC Secretary - 63rd Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice

The IPCC Secretary Abdalah Mokssit will deliver a statement at the opening plenary of the 63rd Session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 63)

More information can be found on the UNFCCC website here.

IPCC Chair, Jim Skea will address the opening of the COP30 session via a video message.

The IPCC Chair Jim Skea will deliver a video address during the opening of the mandated Earth Information Day event. 

His full remarks will be available on the IPCC website here. 

At the start of the current IPCC cycle the Chair led the development of an ambition for IPCC's seventh assessment cycle that is rooted in three pillars: providing an action-oriented assessment, embracing the multi-disciplinary nature of climate science, and enhance inclusivity. Each of these themes has found its way in the implementation of the AR7 cycle, including the processes followed for the scoping of the reports, selection of authors and experts, and designing the support to authors.

This session unpacks these ambitions and illustrates their implementations, particularly in the Working Group outlines and processes.

Attendees are encouraged to engage in the discussion.

This consultative event is being held in advance of the upcoming pair of IPCC workshops (the Workshop on Engaging Diverse Knowledge Systems and the Workshop on Methods of Assessment) and encourages audience participation to discuss how the IPCC could better engage with diverse knowledge (including local, Indigenous and practitioner knowledge systems) and the means by which such knowledge systems can be assessed (including artificial intelligence, ex-post evaluation and systematic review).

Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, included for the first time an interactive atlas for flexible spatial and temporal analyses of much of the observed and projected climate change information underpinning the Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, including regional synthesis for Climatic Impact-Drivers (CIDs).

This session looks at how Working Group I will build on this for the Seventh Assessment Report. 

Speakers include:

Jose Manuel Gutierrez, in charge of the Atlas in WGI AR6 and AR7

Working Group I Vice-Chair Nana Ama Browne Klutse

Lincoln Muniz Alves, Lead Author, AR7 WGI Chapter 7

Working Group II Co-Chair Bart van den Hurk

The event presents an update on the progress of work of the IPCC’s Working Group II contribution to the Seventh Assessment Report with an insight into the vision and the science to be assessed by the Bureau and incoming lead authors. 

Speakers

Jim Skea, IPCC Chair

Bart van den Hurk, WGII Co-Chair

Adelle Thomas,  WGII Vice-Chair

Maria Fernanda Campos Lemos, Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 18 and Professor of Urban Planning and Design, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

Timo Leiter, Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Technical Guidelines (TGIA), Distinguished Policy Fellow, London School of Economics

Moderator

Andrew Okem, Head of Science, IPCC WGII TSU Netherlands/Delft 

Location

Side Event Room 2

In this two-part session, the IPCC Chair, along with Bureau Members and the Secretariat, will provide a comprehensive overview of the IPCC's seventh assessment cycle. This will include details about the scientific content of upcoming IPCC reports and the methods and review processes that uphold the integrity and credibility of the IPCC assessment reports.

During Session One, the IPCC Chair will share his vision for the current assessment cycle, while IPCC Bureau Members will discuss the scientific content of the reports that will be produced. In Session Two, the Secretariat will outline the Panel’s role, its mandate, and the processes that support its work.

This session introduces the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI) and how it develops the methodologies for inventories of greenhouse gases.

Speakers will discuss the upcoming 2027 IPCC Methodology Report on Inventories for Short-lived Climate Forcers, which will provide guidance on estimating anthropogenic emissions of Short-lived Climate Forcers (SLCFs), the status and progress of the IPCC Inventory Software and the Emissions Factor Database (EFDB). 

A Q&A session will follow.

Speakers include: 
TFB Member María José Sanz 
TFB Member Giacomo Grassi 

This session will explore pathways for equitable collaboration in climate knowledge production and decision-making, drawing on lessons from the Arctic Council’s engagement with Indigenous Peoples organizations. The session will highlight the importance of recognizing Indigenous Knowledge as a distinct and complementary system to scientific knowledge, and the need for structural and knowledge-based equity in climate assessments and policy processes.

Using the experience of work in Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme – an Arctic Council working group on climate and environment- and the Ottawa Indigenous Knowledge Principles, the session will showcase how Indigenous Peoples have contributed to knowledge about climate change in the Arctic through long-term observations, cultural practices, and governance systems. It will also address the challenges of engaging with indigenous knowledge holders in intergovernmental bodies such as AMAP and the IPCC and propose mechanisms for more meaningful participation. The topic will serve as input to IPCC and UNFCCC on inclusive and just knowledge governance, in particular related to the AR7 process. 

Bureau Members from the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI) will provide an update on the IPCC Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CDR/CCUS).

This will be complemented by scientific presentations on CDR and updates on other TFI activities, such as on reconciliation of land use emissions

The IPCC Chair will be address the opening via video message.

His full remarks are available on the IPCC website here. 

Agrifood systems are at the heart of climate change challenges and solutions. This side event will explore how climate science is informing the transformation of agrifood systems to be more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive. 

Drawing on insights from the IPCC’s cycles and FAO’s latest research, the session will highlight the critical role of science in shaping climate policy and practice across adaptation, mitigation, and food security.

The event will feature updates on how agriculture is addressed across IPCC Working Groups and the Task Force on Inventory. FAO, with Partners, will present the annual release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data for agriculture, launch the 2025 Working Paper synthesizing emerging evidence on climate impacts and agrifood system responses, and share new insights on crop suitability under evolving climate scenarios. It will also highlight FAO’s analysis of National Adaptation Plans and NDCs, emphasizing the importance of science and data in strengthening climate-related agricultural policies.

Bringing together scientists, IPCC authors, UNFCCC negotiators, policy makers and country representatives, the event aims to foster dialogue on how climate science can support agrifood system transformation