Over 2 dozen Indians among 650 experts picked to write next IPCC report

Like previous reports, the AR7 would comprise of three working groups, each producing a report of its own — Working Group I on the physical science basis of climate change, Working Group II on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, and Working Group III on mitigation of climate change.

There are nine Indian scientists and researchers in Working Group I and III and eight Working Group II. These include a few Indians working in other countries. Several of these have contributed to previous assessment reports as well.

Three scientists from Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, which hosts a Centre for Climate Change Research, are part of the group, the highest among Indian institutions. The Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), has two people in the list.

A similar number of Indians, in the range of 20-30, have been part of the earlier assessment reports. The contributors to the assessment reports are initially nominated by country governments, which can propose as many names as they like. The IPCC then makes the final selection based on their expertise and contribution to science, while also ensuring gender balance, and adequate representation to every region.

This time, countries had proposed 3,771 nominees, of which 664, representing 111 different countries, were finally selected. IPCC said more than 50 per cent of the selected authors were from developing countries, and about 46 per cent were female. The AR6 contributors came from 90 countries. Of these, 44 per cent came from developing countries, and 33 per cent were women.

The IPCC authors do not produce any new science. They review all the available published literature on the subject, and synthesises the information contained therein to produce a comprehensive state of knowledge on specific issues related to climate change. The IPCC assessment reports have been the basis for climate negotiations for the last three decades, and all the climate actions being taken worldwide. For its fourth assessment report, which came out in 2007, the IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for the important work it was doing in safeguarding the planet.

Apart from the three working group reports, the AR7 cycle would also produce a special report on how climate change was impacting cities. The selected authors will begin their work on AR7 later this year, with the first meeting of lead authors scheduled in Paris in November.

Here’s a list of the Indians involved: