IPCC Publications
Since its establishment in 1988, the IPCC has released a wide range of reports that provide the scientific foundation for global climate policy. These publications, grouped by cycle period, offer the latest insights into climate science, its impacts, and strategies for mitigation and adaptation. Presented here in order of newest to oldest, the reports cover various topics essential for understanding and addressing climate change, from comprehensive assessments to specific methodology guidelines.
Report Types¶
There are four major report types published during each cycle period.
Methodology Report (MR)¶
Methodology Reports provide scientific and technical guidelines for countries on how to estimate and report their greenhouse gas emissions and removals. These reports are crucial for ensuring consistency, transparency, and comparability in emissions data used to assess progress under international agreements like the Paris Agreement.
Assessment Report (AR)¶
The Assessment Reports are the most comprehensive and authoritative publications of the IPCC. They provide a state-of-the-art understanding of climate change, including its impacts, future risks, and mitigation and adaptation strategies. These reports are divided into contributions from the three Working Groups, each focusing on a different aspect: physical science, impacts and adaptation, and mitigation.
Synthesis Report (SYR)¶
The Synthesis Report integrates findings from the three Working Group contributions of the Assessment Report, as well as relevant Special Reports. It provides a concise and accessible overview of the most relevant scientific information on climate change, aimed at policymakers and decision-makers, with a clear focus on policy implications and recommendations.
Special Report (SR)¶
Special Reports focus on specific topics that require urgent attention or deeper analysis. These reports are typically requested by governments and policymakers to explore the implications of climate science on particular sectors or regions. Examples include reports on global warming of 1.5°C, climate change and land, and oceans and the cryosphere.
Sixth assessment cycle¶
2014-2023¶
The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) cycle emphasises the critical need for immediate and ambitious actions to limit global warming, through its comprehensive evaluation across three Working Group reports and a Synthesis Report. It details the physical science basis of climate change, impacts and adaptation strategies, and mitigation pathways.
Publications¶
| Year | Report | Type | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C | SR | SR15 | (IPCC SR 15 2018)1 |
| 2019 | Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories | MR | (Buendia et al. 2019)2 | |
| 2019 | Special Report on Climate Change and Land | SR | SRCCL | (IPCC SRCCL 2019)3 |
| 2019 | Special Report on The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate | SR | SROCC | |
| 2020 | Methodology Report on Short Lived Climate Forcers | MR | ||
| 2021 | WG1 - AR6 Climate change 2021: The physical science basis | AR | AR6 WG1 | (IPCC AR6 WG1 2021)4 |
| 2022 | WG2 - AR6 Climate change 2022: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability | AR | AR6 WG2 | (IPCC AR6 WG2 2022)5 |
| 2022 | WG3 - AR6 Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change | AR | AR6 WG3 | (IPCC AR6 WG3 2022)6 |
| 2023 | SYR - AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 | SYR | AR6 SYR | (IPCC AR6 SYR 2023)7 |
Fifth assessment cycle¶
2007-2014¶
The IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), initiated after two years of scoping and preparatory work, began in earnest with Lead Author meetings and discussions on cross-cutting issues. AR5, advancing beyond its predecessors, focuses significantly on the socio-economic dimensions of climate change and its implications for sustainable development, risk management, and response strategies through both adaptation and mitigation.
The report aims to provide nuanced, region-specific information, including detailed analyses of phenomena like monsoons and El Niño. It also emphasises the integration of various topics such as the water cycle, the Earth's carbon cycle, ice sheets, and sea-level rise in a cross-cutting approach. Further, AR5 enhances its examination of uncertainties and risks, incorporates economic analyses, and introduces new scenarios, ensuring a comprehensive and integrated approach to understanding and addressing climate change.
Publications¶
| Year | Report | Type | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation | SR | SRREN | |
| 2012 | Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation | SR | SREX | |
| 2013 | WGI The Physical Science Basis | AR | AR5WG1 | |
| 2014 | WGII Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability | AR | AR5WG2 | |
| 2014 | WGIII Mitigation of Climate Change | AR | AR5WG3 | |
| 2014 | Synthesis Report | SYR |
Fourth assessment cycle¶
2001-2007¶
The IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), released in 2007, marked significant advancements in the understanding of climate change.
- Working Group I delivered new insights into both human and natural climate drivers, provided a comprehensive review of past climate changes, and presented stronger evidence linking recent climate changes to human activities, including continent-specific assessments.
- Working Group II evaluated the observed impacts of climate changes, identifying particularly vulnerable regions and communities, and projected future impacts in the context of varying development paths and multiple stressors.
- Working Group III assessed trends in emissions, explored mitigation strategies and pathways towards stabilising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, and examined the costs associated with these strategies.
AR4 also emphasised the integration of climate change mitigation with sustainable development policies, the interconnections between mitigation and adaptation, and provided a detailed evaluation of uncertainties and risks. The findings of AR4 played a pivotal role at the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-13) in 2007, which adopted the Bali Action Plan. This plan recognized the urgent need for deep cuts in global emissions, spurred by the unequivocal evidence of climate warming and its potential severe impacts as highlighted by AR4, leading to a call for long-term cooperative action to implement the UNFCCC effectively.
Publications¶
| Year | Report | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage | SR | SRCCS |
| 2005 | Special Report on Safeguarding the Ozone Layer and the Global Climate System | SR | SROC |
| 2006 | IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories | MR | |
| 2007 | WGI The Physical Science Basis | AR | AR4WG1 |
| 2007 | WGII Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability | AR | AR4WG2 |
| 2007 | WGIII Mitigation of Climate Change | AR | AR4WG3 |
| 2007 | Synthesis Report | SYR |
Third assessment cycle¶
1995-2001¶
The IPCC's Third Assessment Report (TAR), initiated in 1997 and completed in 2001, advanced the understanding of climate dynamics, human influence on the current climate, and future climate projections through enhanced modelling and new scenarios.
- Working Group I detailed climate processes and feedback mechanisms.
- Working Group II focused on updating information about impacts, vulnerabilities, and sustainable development adaptations.
- Working Group III evaluated mitigation strategies, analyzing their costs, co-benefits, and the interplay with sustainable development, addressing barriers and policy solutions.
At the 2002 Eighth Conference of the Parties (COP-8), the findings of the TAR were acknowledged with concern, highlighting the need for substantial global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to achieve the objectives of the UNFCCC.
Publications¶
| Year | Report | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories | MR | |
| 1997 | Special Report on The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability | SR | |
| 1999 | Special Report on Aviation and the Global Atmosphere | SR | |
| 2000 | Special Report on Emissions Scenarios | SR | SRES |
| 2000 | Special Report on Methodological and Technological Issues in Technology Transfer | SRTT | |
| 2000 | Special Report on Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry | SRLULUCF | |
| 2001 | WGI The Physical Science Basis | AR | AR3WG1 |
| 2001 | WGII Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability | AR | AR3WG2 |
| 2001 | WGIII Mitigation of Climate Change | AR | AR3WG3 |
| 2001 | Synthesis Report | SYR |
Second assessment cycle¶
1990-1995¶
Following the first assessment cycle, the IPCC produced supplementary and special reports in 1992 and 1994 to support the negotiation processes, offering updates on radiative forcing, emission scenarios, and guidelines for assessing impacts and greenhouse gas inventories.
In 1995, the IPCC released its Second Assessment Report (SAR), following a decision in 1991 to expand its membership to include all WMO and UNEP member countries and improve participation from developing nations. This report featured enhanced leadership diversity, with each working group co-chaired by representatives from both developed and developing countries.
- Working Group I noted significant advancements in climate change understanding since 1990.
- Working Group II expanded its focus to assess the feasibility of adaptation and mitigation strategies.
- Working Group III introduced analyses of the social and economic dimensions of climate change.
The SAR was instrumental in shaping the UNFCCC's development, particularly influencing the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol, and was recognised at the 1996 Second Conference of the Parties (COP-2) as the most comprehensive and authoritative climate change assessment available at the time.
Publications¶
| Year | Report | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Supplementary Reports | MR | |
| 1994 | Special Report on Radiative Forcing of Climate Change and An Evaluation of the IPCC IS92 Emission Scenarios | SR | |
| 1994 | IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories | MR | |
| 1994 | IPCC Technical Guidelines for Assessing Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations | ||
| 1995 | WGI The Science of Climate Change | AR | AR2WG1 |
| 1995 | WGII Impacts, Adaptations and Mitigation of Climate Change: Scientific-Technical Analyses | AR | AR2WG2 |
| 1995 | WGIII Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change | AR | AR2WG3 |
| 1995 | Synthesis Report | SYR |
First assessment cycle¶
1988-1990¶
In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) delivered its First Assessment Report (FAR), which led the United Nations General Assembly to begin negotiations for a climate change framework. This report, finalised on August 30, 1990, in Sundsvall, Sweden, informed the decision to create an effective convention on climate change by the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development.
Publications¶
| Year | Report | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | WGI Scientific Assessment of Climate Change | AR | AR1WG1 |
| 1990 | WGII Impacts Assessment of Climate Change | AR | AR1WG2 |
| 1990 | WGIII The IPCC Response Strategies | AR | AR1WG3 |
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IPCC SR 15. 2018. Global Warming of 1.5°c: An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°c Above Pre-Industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty. Edited by Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Panmao Zhai, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Debra Roberts, Jim Skea, Priyadarshi R Shukla, Anna Pirani, et al. World Meteorological Organization. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/. ↩
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Buendia, Eduardo, Kiyoto Tanabe, Andrej Kranjc, Baasansuren Jamsranjav, Maya Fukuda, Sekai Ngarize, Akira Osako, Yurii Pyrozhenko, Pavel Shermanau, and Sandro Federici. 2019. “2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.” ↩
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IPCC SRCCL. 2019. Climate Change and Land: An IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Landmanagement, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157988. ↩
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IPCC AR6 WG1. 2021. Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group i to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S. L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, et al. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157896. ↩
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IPCC AR6 WG2. 2022. Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by H. O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E. S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, et al. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844. ↩
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IPCC AR6 WG3. 2022. Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Edited by Priyadarshi R. Shukla, Jim Skea, Raphael Slade, Alaa Al Khourdajie, Renée van Diemen, David McCollum, Minal Pathak, et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926. ↩
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IPCC AR6 SYR. 2023. Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups i, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/. ↩