The first session of the IPCC's 7th Assessment Cycle began with opening speeches by Climate Change Chief Negotiator Fatma Varank and IPCC Chairman Prof. Dr. Jim SKEA, with the participation of more than 400 delegates from 195 countries.

19 January 2024

IPCC's 7th Assessment Cycle's first session was attended by Ministery of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Deputy Minister and Climate Change Chief Negotiator Fatma Varank, Climate Change Director Prof. Dr. Halil Hasar, IPCC Chairman Prof. Dr. Jim SKEA, and IPCC Secretary Dr. Abdalah Mokssit.

The first session of the IPCC's 7th Assessment Cycle began with opening speeches by Climate Change Chief Negotiator Fatma Varank and IPCC Chairman Prof. Dr. Jim SKEA, with the participation of more than 400 delegates from 195 countries.

Prof. Dr. Jim Skea highlighted the IPCC's successes in raising awareness of climate change and supporting climate action, emphasizing that the IPCC's work provides insights into climate change at the annual Conferences of the Parties organized by the UNFCCC. He pointed out that studies on climate change indicate that humankind facing serious global challenges due to the effects of changing climate on land, oceans, and the cryosphere. Skea also mentioned recent studies, indicating that they shed light on the impacts of climate change on regions, ecosystems, and sectors, emphasizing the urgent need for action to address these impacts.

Deputy Minister and Chief Climate Negotiator Fatma Varank emphasized in her opening speech that climate change is one of humanity's most significant common issues, and the solution to these issues requires the fair and sincere efforts of the international community and necessitates cooperation.

Varank emphasized the significant importance of IPCC studies in providing insights into the current state and future scenarios of climate change and its implications for our world's fight against it. Varank also highlighted the value of strong references to IPCC findings in the global situation assessment, which is a crucial part of COP28's outcomes. Varank, "These findings underscore the importance of achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Before the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the expected 4-degree Celsius global temperature increase, as indicated in previous findings, could potentially be reduced to a range of 2.1 to 2.8 degrees Celsius with the implementation of the agreement, which was a significant message for us. On the other hand, achieving the 1.5-degree target requires a bold global effort. IPCC reports clearly emphasize that limiting temperature increase alone will not be sufficient in combating climate change, and there is a clear need to increase measures related to adaptation and addressing losses and damages."

Varank also pointed out that Türkiye located in the Mediterranean Basin, one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change, is already experiencing the impacts of a 1.5-degree Celsius temperature increase. She emphasized that Türkiye is facing increasingly frequent and severe disasters due to climate change, such as floods and landslides in the Black Sea region, wildfires in the Mediterranean region, and drought in the Central Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia regions.

During the four-day closed meetings, the scope of the IPCC 7th Assessment Cycle was determined, and the work to be carried out by the IPCC throughout the new cycle was clarified.