The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an organisation of governments that are members of the United Nations or World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The IPCC currently has 195 members.

The IPCC was created in 1988 by the WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its objective is to provide governments with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies. IPCC reports are also a key input into international climate change negotiations.

The IPCC is divided into three Working Groups and a Task Force. Working Group I deals with The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change, Working Group II with Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability and Working Group III with Mitigation of Climate Change. The main objective of the Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories is to develop and refine a methodology for the calculation and reporting of national greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

The IPCC does not conduct its own research. For assessment reports, IPCC scientists volunteer their time to assess the thousands of scientific papers published each year to provide a comprehensive summary of what is known about the drivers of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and how adaptation and mitigation can reduce those risks. Through its assessments, the IPCC identifies the strength of scientific agreement in different areas and indicates where further research is needed.

The IPCC review process involves multiple stages and reviewers to ensure a comprehensive, objective and transparent assessment of the science. Expert Reviewers and governments are invited to comment on the scientific, technical and socio-economic assessment and the overall balance of the drafts. The process includes hundreds of reviewers critiquing the accuracy and completeness of the scientific assessment contained in the drafts.

Objective: To provide governments with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies.

The IPCC is funded through the IPCC Trust Fund. Member governments and other organisations make voluntary financial contributions to the fund each year.  For example, the European Union, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), WMO, and Rockefeller Foundation, have made contributions to the IPCC since its inception in 1989. Find out more.