Two Nigerian Professors – Ibidun Adelekan and Aliyu Barau – are among the 97 experts from 56 countries selected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to participate in preparing the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors. Both Nigerians are Lead Authors.
An Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Adelekan’s areas of research interests are human dimensions of global environmental change (including climate change), climate and society, disaster risk reduction, vulnerability and resilience. She assigned to Chapter 2 of the Report.
A Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the Bayero University, Kano in Kano State, Barau is the Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the West Africa Hub Director of the Urban Climate Change Research Network (UCCRN), affiliated with the Earth Institute, Columbia University. He is assigned to Chapter 5 of the Report.
The IPCC initiative marks the beginning of the drafting process for this Special Report, which will be the first report delivered by the IPCC in the seventh assessment cycle. Its release is scheduled for March 2027. Selected authors and review editors will work on developing the report based on the outline agreed by the Panel during its 61st Session held in Sofia, Bulgaria from July 27 to August 2, 2024.
The Special Report on Climate Change and Cities will provide a timely assessment of the latest science related to climate change and cities, including climate impacts and risks, as well as adaptation and mitigation solutions that can be taken to minimise them. Today, more than half of the world’s population is already living in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to further increase by 2050.
“The IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is a call to action for all of us to harness the full potential of our cities in tackling climate change, ensuring that they are resilient, inclusive and sustainable for generations to come. We look forward to the insights that our chosen experts will bring to develop a robust and actionable report,” said Winston Chow, Co-Chair of Working Group II.
The Bureau Members of all three IPCC Working Groups carefully considered all nominations and developed the final list of authors and review editors. The selection was undertaken according to the Principles Governing IPCC Work, which has considered the required scientific, technical and socio-economic expertise, geographical and gender balance, and the inclusion of experts with and without previous IPCC experience.
“The selection of the authors for this Special Report is an important step in its production, a leap from the Panel’s decision nine years ago to include it in the IPCC’s seventh assessment cycle.
“We are inspired by the strong support from the scientific community worldwide wanting to contribute to this IPCC Special Report, as evidenced by the large number of nominations for Lead Authors and Review Editors, and also by the growing body of scientific literature and interest surrounding climate change and cities,” said Joy Pereira, Co-Chair of Working Group III.
The 97 experts that will undertake the assessment were selected from 1,201 nominations submitted by IPCC’s national focal points and observer organisations. Of the selected experts, 53 per cent are women and 54.6 per cent come from developing countries and economies in transition. Nearly a third are new to the IPCC process.
The overall number of nominations confirms a robust and growing interest of the global scientific community in support for the IPCC and its work. Interested experts can contribute as an Expert Reviewer during the review of this Special Report. Another call will be launched for experts to register for the Expert Review of the First Order Draft of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities that will take place in the second half of 2025.