Climate Change Canada

 1.1

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international body responsible for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide decision-makers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. The assessments are undertaken and presented in a way that is relevant to policy but not prescriptive of any specific policy.

The IPCC is both scientific and governmental in nature. Participation in the IPCC is open to all member countries of the WMO and the United Nations. The Panel, made up of representatives of member states, makes major decisions at plenary sessions. The IPCC Bureau, elected by member governments, provides guidance to the Panel on the scientific and technical aspects of the Panel’s work and advises the Panel on management and strategic issues. IPCC assessments are written by scientists who volunteer their time and expertise as authors of these reports. IPCC reports undergo multiple rounds of drafting and are reviewed by both scientific experts and governments to ensure they are comprehensive and objective, and are produced in an open and transparent way.

 

1.2

Responding to climate change: mitigation and adaptation

Mitigation, in the context of climate change, is defined as a human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases (IPCC, 2013), since greenhouse gases (GHGs) have climate warming effects. A source is any process, activity, or mechanism that releases GHGs to the atmosphere. Both natural processes and human activities release GHGs. A sink is any process, activity, or mechanism that removes GHGs from the atmosphere. In addition to GHGs, mitigation also applies to reducing emissions of other substances that have a warming effect on the climate.

Adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm or exploit beneficial opportunities. In some natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects.