A group of archaeologists, historic preservationists and others interested in the cultural heritage implications of climate change have issues a call for those with relevant expertise to consider seeking nomination to serve at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scoping meeting for the IPCC special report on oceans and the cryosphere (SROC). The scoping meeting will be held during the week of December 5, 2016 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Nomination packets must be submitted by July 19.
Meeting in Nairobi in April 2016, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) set its strategy and timeline for its next series of reports, the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), and the special reports that will be prepared in the next few years. The Panel agreed to provide a special report on climate change and oceans and the cryosphere, as well as reports on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 ºC above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways and another on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems. Preparations for the main AR6 report, which is expected to be released in three working group contributions in 2020/2021 and a Synthesis Report in 2022, will start later in 2016. The IPCC has said AR6 will have a special focus on the impacts of climate change on cities and their unique adaptation and mitigation challenges and opportunities.
The full text of the Call appears below.
Dear colleagues,
Please find below a solicitation request from the US State Department for nomination of experts to serve at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scoping meeting for the IPCC special report on oceans and the cryosphere (SROC). The scoping meeting will be held during the week of December 5, 2016 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The nomination form is attached. The areas of expertise being looked for (see second tab) include several to which archaeology and anthropology are relevant, such as:
- “Vulnerability and scope for adaptation of natural, managed, and human systems related to oceans and cryosphere (including human infrastructure, cities, indigenous communities, human behaviors, economies,adaptation costs, trade-offs and co-benefits)”
- “Risk assessments, risk perceptions, reasons for concern (extreme events, coastal erosion, ocean circulation, sea level rise, cryosphere retreat, ecosystem degradation, e.g., coral reefs; harmful algal blooms, adverse impacts of human response measures, climate interactions with overfishing, eutrophication and pollution, regional differentiation)”
- “Global to regional variability in the cryosphere…(including palaeoclimate)”
- “Global to regional sea level variability and change…(including palaeoclimate)”
This is the second circulation of an IPCC scoping solicitation by the newly established Society for American Archaeology Climate Change Strategies and Archaeological Resources Committee-Agency and Policy Work Group (SAA CCSAR-A&P) and the Pocantico Framework for Cultural Heritage and Climate Change International Working Group (Pocantico FIG3). We are working together to increase representation and incorporation of archaeological and anthropological resources and research in future reports of the IPCC and programs of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Our coordination for the scoping meeting of the IPCC special report on limiting global warming to 1.5C in May generated seven nominations.
If you or a colleague is interested in being nominated to be part of this IPCC scoping meeting and you or the colleague is not a federal employee, please complete the nomination packet (nomination spreadsheet plus a PDF of your c.v.) and submit it directly to the State Department at ReidmillerDR@state.gov by July 19, 2016. If you or a colleague are a federal employee, it is recommended that you apply through your agency point of contact. Inquiries about agency points of contact also can be sent to ReidmillerDR@state.gov.
If you submit a nomination form, would you please also send a note or copy to Marcy Rockman (marcy_rockman@nps.gov) or Adam Markham (AMarkham@ucsusa.org) so that we can track and learn from this nomination process.
What is this IPCC and what does it do?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC assessments provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate-related policies, and they underlie negotiations at the UN Climate Conference – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The IPCC embodies a unique opportunity to provide rigorous and balanced scientific information to decision-makers because of its scientific and intergovernmental nature.
One of the main IPCC activities is the preparation of comprehensive Assessment Reports about the state of scientific, technical and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, its causes, potential impacts and response strategies. The IPCC also produces Special Reports, which are an assessment on a specific issue and Methodology Reports, which provide practical guidelines for the preparation of greenhouse gas inventories. . IPCC assessments are written by hundreds of leading scientists who volunteer their time and expertise as Coordinating Lead Authors and Lead Authors of the reports. They enlist hundreds of other experts as Contributing Authors to provide complementary expertise in specific areas. The most recent Assessment Report – AR5 – was released was released between September 2013 and November 2014.