Integrating federal research on global change and climate change

This is an announcement of opportunity to recommend experts to the U.S. Government for nomination as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors, Review Editors, contributing authors and expert reviewers for the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Experts are needed in a wide range of fields spanning the science of climate systems and climate change and the scientific, technical, environmental, economic and social aspects of impacts, adaptation, vulnerability and mitigation of climate change. As explained in greater detail below, your recommendations need to be received at the Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which is coordinating the U.S. nomination process, by 12:00 noon on Monday February 15, 2010. The remainder of this announcement provides background information and describes how to submit recommendations.

The IPCC

The IPCC was established in 1988 under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Its role is to provide comprehensive, objective, open, and transparent scientific and technical assessments of knowledge related to climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

The expert nomination process

The IPCC is open to all 194 countries that are members of the United Nations and WMO. Governments develop and approve plans for reports, nominate and approve lead authors and reviewers, comment on drafts, and approve the final drafts and related summaries. Drafts of reports also go through expert review. Details of the IPCC process may be found in the "Procedures for the Preparation, Review, Acceptance, Adoption, Approval and Publication of IPCC Reports." At the 31st IPCC session (Bali – 26-29 October 2009), delegates accepted the overall outline (Working Group I, Working Group II, Working Group III) and the work program for the Fifth Assessment Report. In preparing for the drafting stage of the AR5, the IPCC has formally requested that governments and participating organizations nominate experts to serve as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors of the various chapters of the report. Governments are free to identify nominees in any manner. The U.S. Government has chosen to consult broadly in identifying potential experts and thus is soliciting recommendations from any interested Federal, academic, non-governmental, or private sector entities.

The IPCC will review the nominations from all participating governments and organizations and make final decisions on nominees. Given the large number of individuals that are typically nominated in this process, selection as a U.S. nomination does not guarantee selection by the IPCC itself.

Participants in the IPCC process volunteer their time. Travel and subsistence costs for non-Federal participants are provided if requested by the participant through an interagency travel fund administered through the US-sponsored Working Group II Technical Support Unit (TSU) in Stanford, California. Participation costs for Federal authors/reviewers will need to be covered directly by their agency or department. Nominated individuals should agree in advance to fulfill the role for which they are nominated, should they be selected to do so by IPCC. Nomination by the U.S. to the IPCC does not imply a commitment by the U.S. Government to provide financial support for participation (other than travel costs for non-Federal experts, if requested).

How to recommend experts

1. Refer to the IPCC website for detailed background information on the 5th Assessment Report. The necessary forms to ensure a complete nomination are below on this site under item number "3." The web pages on the IPCC's web site identify the substantive areas covered in each of the volumes and chapters of the report, and the various author and reviewer roles in the process. This information can also be accessed via the Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) web site. It is important to note that the time commitment required to carry out different roles in the IPCC process varies greatly.

2. Make sure that any of the experts that you wish to recommend are willing to serve in the role for which they are nominated.

3. Nominations to be considered within the U.S. Government nomination process must be submitted to the Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) by noon on Monday, February 15, 2010, and *not* directly to the IPCC Secretariat. Complete the posted MSExcel nomination form - one for each nominee including an up-to-date CV (no more than 5 pages), identification of the relevant AR5 Working Group/chapter, and the role for which the individual is being nominated. Send this information as email attachments to ipcc_nominations@usgcrp.gov by 15 February 2010. Copies of the nomination form are available online here (Working Group I, Working Group II, Working Group III). **Please do not fill out the top section of the form entitled "person nominating." USGCRP staff will fill in the pertinent information for the United States IPCC Focal Point.** Please be sure to provide all the other requested information because we will not have enough time to contact individuals for information that is missing. Please note that partial nomination packages will not be considered.

What happens next?

In a process coordinated through the U.S. Global Change Research Program in cooperation with the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President, technical experts and managers of relevant science and technology programs within the U.S. government will make and review recommendations and forward a slate of nominees on the basis of their qualifications to the IPCC through the U.S. State Department, the official point of contact for IPCC matters.

For further information

David Allen of the U.S. Global Change Research Program Integration and Coordination Office is serving as the coordinator of this nomination process. Mr. Allen can be reached at 1 202 419 3486 or dallen@usgcrp.gov. Consult the USGCRP website or the IPCC website for additional information and status of the nomination process as writing teams are selected in the spring of 2010.

See also: Request U.S. nomination of experts for consideration as coordinating lead authors, lead authors, contributing authors, expert reviewers, and review editors for the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Federal Register notice (Public Notice: 6877, pp. 3516-3517, 01/21/2010) issued by U.S. Global Change Research Program and Department of State.