Though involved in controversy after former chief Rajendra Pachauri resigned following allegations of sexual harassment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is all business as usual, ensuring the panel's meeting in Nairobi achieved its goals.
One of the issues tackled during the IPCC meeting was the form the United Nations climate assessment would take. According to what has been agreed upon, it would generally take on teh same form as it has previously had. The most recent climate assessment, the fifth for the IPCC, was completed in 2014. One of the key takeaways from the report was that it concluded that human activity is extremely likely to be responsible for majority of the recent warming the planet has been experiencing.
"The overall structure remains," said Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, IPCC vice-chair.
He added, however, that some key components of the panel's operation have been improved to encourage a higher level of participation from all scientists involved in the IPCC's work.
Renate Christ, IPCC secretary, said the panel cannot ignore Pachauri's resignation but reiterates that the allegations lobbied against him are not related to the IPCC. As such, the panel will not be deterred by the controversy but it will do what it can to ensure the IPCC maintains an atmosphere that respects and upholds everyone's rights.
Some IPCC scientists have said the panel's process is too slow, requiring too much time from volunteers. Over 2,000 scientists from all over the world are involved in assessing the global climate and some have advocated for shorter reports instead of the usual monumental assessments.
Those in attendance in Nairobi also called for better regional focus and a wider review of non-English scientific literature in the coming assessment. Involving more science writers and experts in communication was also suggested to help make IPCC reports more accessible to the broader public.
During the meeting, the IPCC has decided to open up its processes to scientists seeking access to meetings to be able to better study and assess these processes and make recommendations that will help in improving how the panel does its work.
To help ensure the IPCC's work goes undisturbed, the panel has assigned Ismail El Gizouli, its vice chair, as acting chairperson until October's leadership election. Thomas Stocker, a climate scientist from Switzerland's University of Bern, and van Ypersele will be vying for the position of IPCC chair. Christopher Field, co-chair for the IPCC impacts and adaptation working group, has also expressed intention of running.
