The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report: get your own first impressions

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The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report has been covered by a lot of media outlets.  Since I work in a field related to climate change, I naturally prefer to read the IPCC reports firsthand, without relying on any media personality to explain it to me. I understand that most people would not prefer to read a boring and complicated report, even if it pertains to one of the critical issues of our times. Moreover, it is not always a question of preference or interest. Understanding climate change requires some background in science, which may not be available to all.

My hope in writing this post is that:
(a) it might convince a few people - especially STEM graduates - that they need not rely on middlemen for first impressions; and
(b) it might prove helpful to media personnel who are interested in explaining this issue to their audience.

I assume that you have no formal background in this area.

Headline Statements

The report by the Working Group I is around 1300 pages long. You likely do not have the time nor the need to go through this. A Technical Summary is also available - it is about 150 pages long, and a Summary for Policymakers (SPM), 39 pages long.

To get your own first impression, I recommend that you start with the Headline Statements.

Source: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/

 

This a 2-page document which very briefly introduces the most important aspects of the science behind climate change. Both - what it mentions and what it does not - are important to note. For eg., it mentions the Arctic and not the Antarctic, because there is greater clarity on the changes in the former. More importantly- and like the whole report - it discusses only the science and none of the politics. This is important to lay the foundation for any constructive climate conversation. The Headline Statements should be understood in sufficient depth before trying to generate one's own headlines regarding the issue.

Summary for Policymakers

The document with Headline Statements is divided into 4 sections (A-D) where each has several bullet points (eg., A.1 - A.4). These bullet points are further expanded in the Summary for Policymakers (SPM). For eg., the bullet point A1 is discussed in 4 pages in the SPM.

Please note: unless you have a background in this field or are used to reading reports on climate change, I recommend reading no more than one section (for eg., A1) in one go. These are concepts that require cogitation and depth. You will likely search for explanations for a lot of scientific terms (recommended!). Doing this properly will likely take you two weeks.

While reading the SPM, you will notice italicized phrases such as "likely", "virtually certain", "more likely than not" etc. This is an important concept to understand and convey. Climate projections come with clearly stated likelihoods and this is what earns them credibility over random and opaque predictions. Each italicized phrase means a specific bracket of probability that is explained in Footnote 4 in the SPM.

Source: Footnote 4 (Page 5) of the SPM

Further details for each bullet point can be obtained from the Technical Summary as well as the full report. However, for the purpose of awareness only, I do not think reading those is necessary. The SPM provides enough information with great clarity.


To conclude

I wish more people would familiarize themselves with climate change. A popular misconception is that this issue is beyond the comprehension of most of us. The reports may be -- but remind yourself of the scientific qualifications of most of your policymakers who need to act on these reports. Remind yourself of the scientific backgrounds of most of the journalists who will cover this issue and explain it to you. I hope it will encourage you to pick up at least the Headline Statements and perhaps also the SPM, and read them for yourself. I urge you to do this before you move on to the popular explainers.

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The IPCC has three Working Groups (WG). WG I covers the science, WG II covers the impacts and WG III covers the solutions for the climate crisis. This is not "the IPCC report" or the entire IPCC report. This is the report by the Working Group I.


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