Governments have postponed a decision on the timing of a climate science assessment at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting for the third time, as they failed to reach a consensus on harmonization. the work of the UN climate policy panel.

Although representatives agreed on three main IPCC reports in Hangzhou on Saturday, their delivery dates remain unclear after intense negotiations and a non-stop 30-hour session.

Most governments supported the IPCC’s administrative branch’s proposal to complete the scientific review by August 2028, so that the reports could be part of the “Global Stocktake” under the Paris Agreement. European countries, Japan, Turkey, small island states and most Latin American and least developed countries supported the plan. China, Saudi Arabia and India opposed it, while South Africa and Kenya called for further discussions on the inclusiveness of the process.

The Chinese hosts of the eleventh hour summit reached a provisional agreement that will begin assessing the reports in 2025. Discussions on the final date will continue at the next IPCC meeting later this year.

IPCC Chair Jim Skea noted that despite the challenging agenda, the scope of the scientific content was clearly defined.

Climate policy alignment

The IPCC is preparing three reports in its seventh assessment cycle (AR7) on the physical basis of climate change, system vulnerabilities, and options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC's sixth assessment contributed to countries' commitment to transition away from fossil fuels at COP28 in Dubai.

China, as the host of the summit, has praised the contributions of the climate science community. However, Climate Home said there is a disconnect between Chinese officials' public statements and the actual negotiations. China and some other high-income developing countries are seeking to keep the IPCC reports out of the next assessment, fearing pressure to reduce emissions.

Zhe Yao of Greenpeace criticized the disagreements that delay decisions, which is unacceptable for climate-vulnerable countries.

Concerns about missing key deadlines

Technical discussions dominated the session. Diana Urge-Vorsatz of the IPCC criticized efforts to remove key terms like "Paris Agreement" and "fossil fuels" from the reports, which she said threatened global climate science.

Disagreement over carbon removal

Countries also disagreed on a methodological report on CO₂ removal technologies, particularly the controversial marine geoengineering. Most governments rejected the proposal due to unknown side effects. Discussions will continue.

Absence of the USA

U.S. delegates and federal scientists did not attend the meeting after the Trump administration suspended their participation. Without U.S. technical support, the IPCC could struggle to produce rigorous and comprehensive reports, said Delta Merner of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Spring