The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – Scientific Authority and Map Maker of Climate Policy Alternatives

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is widely recognized as the leading international body for the assessment of climate change. It serves to comprehensively, objectively and transparently evaluate all scientific information relevant to understanding the risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. In the 36 years since its founding, the IPCC has become a focal point for the exchange on climate change within the scientific community as well as across the science and policy arenas. This article provides an overview of the IPCC (its establishment, structure, procedures, and publications), and discusses the philosophical framework of the science-policy interface, in which the IPCC functions. Furthermore, the article briefly discusses key insights of the last two assessment cycles.