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Science

Science is knowledge or a system of knowledge about the physical world and its phenomena. Many environmental threats would be unknown without scientific research or discovered too late for the development of appropriate policies.

Environmental policy rests on a foundation of scientific research. However, the process of scientific research is not always geared to the needs of policymaking. Science seeks to prove or disprove hypotheses as a strategy for reaching enduring answers. Policy is limited in time and location: decisions must be made at a given time for a specific jurisdiction. Policymakers seek the best possible answers to issues because there is a constituency that requires an answer. Effective environmental policy requires facts derived from science as well as principles and goals derived from policy analysis. However, simply providing more scientific information does not create better policy. Scientists and policymakers often speak two different languages. An effective science-policy interface is often needed to negotiate and mediate between science and policy so that the evidence scientists provide is understandable to policymakers and other stakeholders.

Events and Articles

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51st Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-51)

The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) has some alarming messages in its assessment of the latest scientific knowledge about the physical science basis for, and impacts of, climate change on ocean, coastal, polar, and mountain ecosystems, and the human communities that depend on them. It also evaluates their vulnerabilities and adaptation capacity, as well as options for achieving climate-resilient development pathways.
Event 20 September 2019 - 23 September 2019

50th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-50)

The 50th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change adopted the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) and accepted the underlying report. The SRCCL represents the first ever comprehensive look at the whole land-climate system, addressing land as a critical resource, desertification and land degradation, food security, and land and climate change responses. This is the first IPCC report in which most of the authors are from developing countries, with women accounting for 40% of Coordinating Lead Authors.
Event 2 August 2019 - 7 August 2019

Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2019

The meeting advanced work on several issues to facilitate implementation of the Paris Agreement, due for completion at the Santiago Climate Change Conference in December 2019, including Article 6, Terms of Reference for the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage, reporting tables and other issues related to the transparency framework under the Paris Agreement, and the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture.
Event 17 June 2019 - 27 June 2019

49th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-49)

Key to determining the success (or failure) of efforts to combat global warming is a common methodology to assess greenhouse (GHG) emissions and removals, which was the main task of the IPCC in Kyoto: to adopt the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 Guidelines on National GHG Inventories prepared by scientists according to IPCC Principles and Procedures.
Event 8 May 2019 - 12 May 2019

48th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-48)

On Saturday, 6 October, the Panel adopted the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15) and approved the Technical Summary and the underlying assessment report. Throughout the week and through the last night, the first Joint Session of Working Groups (WGs) I, II and III discussed the SPM line-by-line in order to reach agreement.
Event 1 October 2018 - 6 October 2018

Bangkok Climate Change Conference - September 2018

UNFCCC parties had agreed to an additional meeting in the lead up to the Katowice Climate Change Conference COP 24 to ensure the "timely completion" of the Paris Agreement Work Programme.
Event 4 September 2018 - 9 September 2018

Bonn Climate Change Conference - April 2018

Subsidiary bodies adopted a decision on the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture and recommended a decision to the COP on the review of the effective implementation of the Climate Technology Centre and Network. As a unique feature, the Talanoa Dialogue asked parties and stakeholders to share stories around the questions “Where are we?” “Where do we want to go?” and “How do we get there?”
Event 30 April 2018 - 10 May 2018