The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first of its three-part Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) last August 9, 2021, presenting the strongest evidence yet that humans are causing unprecedented and irreversible changes to the climate.

Established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization, the IPCC is the international scientific authority on climate change and global warming. The IPCC had conducted five Assessment Reports on climate change, its impacts, and potential response strategies. These assessment reports are published every six to seven years. Of the 234 experts from 66 countries who have contributed to the Working Group 1 report, three authors are Filipinos – Dr. Gemma Narisma, Dr. Faye Abigail Cruz, and Dr. Laurice Jamero from the Manila Observatory. The late Dr. Narisma was one of the coordinating lead authors of the Atlas chapter where Dr. Jamero was a contributing author. Dr. Cruz is one of the lead authors of Chapter 12 and one of the drafting authors of the Summary for Policymakers. 

How is this report different from the previous ones?

The latest report has been described as the most assertive yet from the IPCC, with United Nations Secretary António Guterres calling it a “code red for humanity”. 

“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” said the IPCC in its AR6 Working Group 1 report. 

Over the years, the progression of assertiveness of the reports is indicative of the extent to which science has enabled us to understand the climate and how we affect it. And with AR6, the IPCC reports that human influence on the climate system is now an established fact, with some changes such as rising seas and melting glaciers irreversible

Why are the Assessment Reports important?

The Assessment Reports are comprehensive scientific evaluations of the planet’s climate. These are written by three working groups of hundreds of scientists who assess thousands of scientific, technical, and socio-economic literature to be able to summarize the state of knowledge on climate, its impacts, and adaptation and mitigation options. 

While the Philippines is not a significant carbon emitter, it is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of the changing climate. In fact, Filipinos have been all too familiar with extreme events over the last couple of years.  The IPCC Reports provide information on global and regional climate status and projections that are key input to international negotiations to develop climate policies. 

However, the intensity and magnitude of the impacts of the changing climate varies per region and/or country. The Philippine Climate Change Assessment Report (PhilCCA) provides comprehensive information on climate change science with particular focus on the Philippines to help guide the Filipinos in making crucial science-based decisions to adapt to the effects of climate change and at the same time, drastically cut carbon emissions and limit global warming.

Read our highlights on the IPCC AR6 WG1 report. 

With the Climate Change Commission (CCC), the Center publishes the PhilCCA Reports, which contain comprehensive information on climate change science in the Philippines. The PhilCCA has three volumes, namely Working Group 1: The Physical Science Basis, Working Group 2: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and Working Group 3: Mitigation of Climate Change.

The PhilCCA Reports are available for download via our website.

Click here to download a copy of the primer and the highlights.