The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) invited the Academy of Sciences Malaysia to nominate experts for consideration as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors, or Review Editors for the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
A full briefing on the report was held on 6 October 2017 at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Bangi. As a result, six distinguished members of the Malaysian scientific community, notably Fellows of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, were selected for AR6.
The panel of Malaysian experts involved in AR6, as well as their role in the report are as follows:
- Professor Dr Joy Jacqueline Pereira FASc (UKM): Review Editor, Chapter 10: Asia & Vice-Chair of IPCC WG2 on Impacts, Adaptations and Vulnerability
- Professor Dr Fredolin Tangang FASc (UKM): Review Editor, WG1 Chapter 10: Linking Global to Regional Climate Change
- Dr Gan Thian-Yew (University of Alberta): Lead Author, WG1 Chapter 8: Water Cycle Changes
- Dr Sharina Abdul Halim (UKM): Lead Author, WG2 Chapter 10: Asia
- Professor Dr Zelina Zaiton Ibrahim (Universiti Putra Malaysia): Coordinating Lead Author, WG2 Chapter 16: Key Risks Across Sectors and Regions
- Professor Dr Lim Yun-Seng, (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman): Lead Author, WG3 Chapter 16: Innovation, Technology Development and Transfer
The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is as international body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It aims to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Experts for assessment reports were selected on the basis of their expertise, following a call to governments and IPCC observer organisations for nominations and submission of detailed curriculum vitae. To reflect a range of scientific, technical and socio-economic views and backgrounds, diversity in all aspects was taken into consideration.
Author teams must consist of authors from different regions, from developed and developing countries, to ensure reports are not biased towards a specific country or group of countries. This diversity within author teams also ensures that questions of particular importance to particular regions are not overlooked. Furthermore, a balance between men and women as well as experienced and new IPCC authors were also taken into account. Members from non-profit organisations and industry may also be included.
The IPCC’s assessment reports are written by hundreds of leading scientists who volunteer their time and expertise as Coordinating Lead Authors and Lead Authors of the reports. The reports provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate change-related policies. They underlie negotiations at the UN Climate Conference – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
These reports are policy-relevant but are not policy-prescriptive; this means that reports present projections of future climate change based on different scenarios, the risks that climate change pose, and discuss the implications of response options, but they do not tell policymakers what actions to take.
The full report can be expected from 2020 onwards.