The European Union and dozens of governments want the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to make its next reports available before the 2028 global stocktake, giving governments recent science as they assess emissions progress.
The disagreement has surfaced at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Saudi Arabia, China and India are among those seeking a 2029 timetable for the seventh assessment report.
The panel's assessments are produced on a seven-year cycle and offer governments an authoritative account of climate science for policymaking. Several negotiators told AFP that updated findings could draw attention to how far current action remains from measures needed to curb global warming.
Countries favoring more time say developing-country representatives need longer to study the extensive technical material. The Least Developed Countries group and the Alliance of Small Island States, which AFP described as blocs representing more than 70 developing nations, support a 2028 release.
Senior EU climate official Diana Acconcia said Friday the bloc would press for an earlier release. “We will fight for this outcome to be there,” she told reporters. Acconcia said some parties were seeking to weaken scientific findings because they opposed taking steps to tackle climate change.
Pierre Friedlingstein, a University of Exeter climate scientist who has contributed to earlier IPCC assessments, told AFP that policy decisions should draw on the most recent science.
AFP said the IPCC's October meeting ended without an agreed timetable and was adjourned until Dec. 1. At COP31's opening, IPCC Chair Jim Skea said the impasse created operational and reputational risks for the panel and asked delegates to help prepare for a “successful outcome” at the December gathering.
AFP reported little confidence that COP31 would resolve the matter, as summit decisions require consensus among nearly 200 participating countries. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) schedules COP31 in Antalya for Nov. 9-20. The IPCC session is due to resume Dec. 1.
