IPCC 2007

The IPCC (often also referred to as the World Climate Panel) was established by the United Nations Environmental Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation in 1988 and is made up of the world's leading scientists. The IPCC itself does not conduct any research, but collects and analyses global research results. From these, the IPCC develops risk analyses concerning the environmental, societal and economic consequences of climate change, and develops realistic strategies for a response to these. The IPCC headquarters are in Geneva.

To date the IPCC has issued four assessment reports (AR): 1990, 1995, 2001 and 2007. The Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of 2007 is the most famous and provides amongst other things widely supported evidence that there is a 90 percent probability that the current pattern of global warming has been caused by humans, and that the CO2 concentration has never been as high as it is in our century. Approximately 1369 authors and 2500 experts have contributed to it. The IPCC reports are reviewed by government representatives from the over 100 member states who check and politically evaluate them. They therefore tend to be rather on the conservative side. Such being the case, the reports are nevertheless very widely supported and are thus indispensable standard reference works for anybody who is involved in the subject of climate change. The IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

The IPCC came increasingly under fire in late 2009. The dispute is between the so-called "climate sceptics" and representatives of the IPCC. The climate sceptics deduce, based on a few isolated errors and clumsy communication from the IPCC, that man-made climate change does not exist and refuse to accept political changes. Experts agree that particularly the core statements in the first part (causes of climate change) are not called into question. However, the scientific community is considering possible reforms of the IPCC as well as a more regular publication of progress reports.

Copenhagen Report 2009

This compilation of the most important new knowledge since the publication of the IPCC report proceeds on the assumption that the climate system processes could possibly be changing faster than previously believed. It is therefore recommended to stabilise the CO2eq concentration at 400 ppm, so that global warming can be limited to 2°C compared with pre-industrial levels. An overview of the most current scientific studies on climate change was compiled at a conference in Copenhagen in March 2009. In contrast to the IPCC report which will only be updated again in 2013, this report has nevertheless not yet passed through the complicated decision-making process. The introduction to the Copenhagen Report reflects the dismay of the otherwise seemingly unemotional scientific community in the face of the divergence between political obstruction and scientific need.

A summary (English) including the most important key messages to all policy-makers (English) can be seen under Copenhagen Report 2009: "Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges & Decisions“