- The webinar is part of the satellite programme of the 61st IPCC session in Bulgaria.

On August 5, the Ministry of Environment and Water will host the webinar "How to become an IPCC Author". The webinar is part of the satellite programme for Bulgaria's hosting of the 61st Session of the IPCC, which takes place in Sofia between 27 July and 2 August.

The UN’s IPCC is the most influential international scientific organisation in the field of climate change and its meeting in Bulgaria is the largest climate science event ever held in Bulgaria.

Within the IPCC, approximately every 7 years, hundreds of scientists and experts from around the world produce reports summarising all available current information on climate, its impact, and future risks, as well as options for reducing the rate of climate change and for adaptation. These assessment reports typically run thousands of pages, for which the authors put in thousands of hours of voluntary work. They are commissioned by governments that are members of the United Nations or the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The reports thus lay the scientific basis for future climate policies.

However, in the period 2011-2017, only a few Bulgarian scientists have participated in IPCC working groups, and there are currently no official IPCC authors from Bulgaria and a few other Eastern European countries. The participation of more Bulgarian scientists in the IPCC would greatly help to explore the specific climate risks for our region and appropriate mitigation and adaptation solutions. In addition, the IPCC policy is to include authors from many geographic regions to provide diverse perspectives and knowledge bases. Efforts are also being made to achieve gender balance among the authors.

In the webinar, Prof. Diana Urge-Forzatz, IPCC Vice Chair, will introduce participants to the author application process and requirements for participation. A call for nominations of authors for the seventh assessment cycle will be published soon and representatives of Bulgarian universities and research institutions will be able to submit applications. Author applications are approved by the IPCC Bureau.

In addition to the reports of the three IPCC working groups (on the physical scientific basis of climate change, climate change impact, adaptation and vulnerability, and climate change mitigation), the Seventh Assessment Report will also develop several special reports. Among them is the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, which is currently being discussed in Sofia.

The drafting of IPCC reports goes through several stages of editing and approval by both the expert authors and governments. The final step is the approval of the summary of the reports for the political leaders and of the reports themselves by the IPCC experts. The seventh assessment report will be published by the end of 2029.

The online event with Bulgarian scientists and IPCC representatives will take place from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

Registration link