IPCC Kicks Off 64th Plenary Session in Bangkok
By: Abudu Olalekan
Tuesday marked the start of the IPCC’s 64th Plenary, kicking off four days of talks in Bangkok. This gathering, unfolding at UNESCAP’s base, may carry significant weight. Dates stretch from March 24 into the 27th. Location? A bustling hub for regional diplomacy across Asia and the Pacific. Much rests on what emerges here by week’s end.
Folks began arriving early morning, nearly three hundred in total. Hailing from nations with ties to the IPCC, officials and watchers filled the halls of the Bangkok venue. Their reason for gathering? Advancing what’s known as the seventh assessment cycle. One purpose guided every conversation, each meeting, all effort.
What topped the list? Taking another look at the rules shaping how the IPCC works. Every half decade brings one of these check-ins, so with more than two years already gone in this seventh round, Jim Skea – chair of the IPCC – saw the time had come to start.
“The principles and procedures governing our work are vital in safeguarding IPCC’s ability to deliver comprehensive, neutral, objective, transparent, inclusive, and scientifically robust assessments,” Skea said during his opening remarks. He didn’t mince words either – urging member governments to give the matter their “full and undivided attention” while they have the chance.
Not just about process, the meeting spans four days full of activity. Funding for the IPCC Trust Fund comes under discussion, along with news from the group handling climate data support. New groups wanting observer status get reviewed too. Progress check-ins arrive from different IPCC units working on projects linked to the current assessment round. Some topics pop up more than once, depending on where they fit.
Picture this starting in July 2023 – the seventh phase kicked off under the IPCC’s watch. By 2029, everything ties together when the AR7 Synthesis Report comes out. Until that moment unfolds, three Working Group assessments will roll out one by one. Alongside those, revisions land on the 1994 rules for measuring climate impacts and how we adapt. Multiple big reports also arrive without warning – some special, others about methods. One dives into cities facing climate shifts, not coastal zones or forests but urban centers. Another tackles short-lived pollutants that heat the atmosphere fast but fade quickly. Then there is the deep look at removing CO₂, capturing it, using it, storing it underground. Each piece slots into place years before the final report seals the timeline.
Heavy names showed up right from the start. At the front stood Raweewan Bhuridej, Thailand’s top official for nature and environment, greeting attendees in person. Speaking after her, Jim Skea – head of the IPCC – shared thoughts, along with Ko Barrett from the global weather group. From afar, their voices still carried strong: Inger Andersen sent words through a screen, then Simon Stiell followed, voice steady from his post at the climate treaty office.
