The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will consider the “Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” (SROCC) from September 20 to 23, 2019 during its 51st Session to be held in the Principality of Monaco. The report is due to be launched on September 25, 2019.
The “Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” assesses physical processes and impacts of climate change on ocean, coastal, polar and mountain ecosystems. It also assesses consequences for human communities and options for people to adapt to climate-related changes for a more sustainable future.
The word “cryosphere” – from the Greek kryos, meaning cold or ice – describes the areas of the Earth where water is found in its solid state. This includes ice sheets, frozen lakes and rivers, regions covered by snow, glaciers and frozen soil.
Formally, the draft Summary for Policymakers (SPM) will be considered by the Second Joint Session of IPCC Working Groups I and II. The outcome of the Working Group Session is then submitted to the 51st Session of the IPCC for acceptance.
IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, Vice-Chair Ko Barrett, and the Co-Chairs of IPCC Working Groups I and II of the IPCC – Valérie Masson-Delmotte (France), Hans-Otto Pörtner (Germany), Debra Roberts (South Africa) and Panmao Zhai (China) – will present key aspects of the Special Report at a media session in Monaco on the day of the launch.
The 51st Session of the IPCC will be opened by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee, and by senior officials from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Friday, September 20.
