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Report on the Oceans and the Cryosphere

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) framework meeting in Monaco.

The framework meeting of the Special Report on Climate Change, Oceans and the Cryosphere of the IPCC will take place on December 6-9, 2016 in Monaco. It will bring together some 100 experts from 40 countries.

The cryosphere (from the Greek kryos meaning cold and ice) is a collective term denoting those parts of the Earth’s surface where water is present in the solid state. It includes pack ice, frozen lakes and rivers, snow covered areas, glaciers and frozen necks.

On this occasion, a press conference will be held on December 6, from 8.30 am to 9.00 am, at the Novotel Hotel, prior to the opening ceremony where Prince Albert II of Monaco and Mr.Lee Hoesung, President of the IPCC, will deliver their keynote speech. The plenary session, open to the media and observers, will be held from 9.00 am to 10.00 am.

The following participants are to attend this press conference:

-Ko Barrett (United States), Vice-President of the IPCC and Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Special Report Working Group, as well as the Working Group Vice-Presidents:

-Hans-Otto Pörtner (Germany)

-Debra Roberts (South Africa)

-Valérie Masson-Delmotte (France)

-ZhaiPanmao (China)

-Jonathan Lynn, IPCC Communications Manager.

They will introduce the IPCC, its goals and expected results of the meeting supported by the Prince’s Government and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The Principality of Monaco welcomes the decision taken by the IPCC at its 41st working session on April 13, 2016, in Kenya, to produce a special report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere, due to the worrying consequences of Global warming and increasing gas emissions from the oceans. “Monaco has long supported research as an important axis of its policy. (…) We have carried out an important work of conviction in favor of the IPCC report on the oceans and the cryosphere “, – said HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco during his speech on the World Oceans Day in June 2016.

“Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and play a key role in climate regulation. They provide food and livelihoods to millions of people. This very relevant political report will improve our understanding of the Oceans and the Cryosphere, especially regarding sea-level rise,”- claims Lee Hoesung. The drafting of the report is expected to be completed in 2019.

For the record, the IPCC is an international body responsible for scientific analysis of climate change. It was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)in order to provide policy-makers with occasional scientific assessments on climate change, their impact and future risks. And also to present adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Major evaluation reports are published every 6-7 years (the most recent dates back to 2014). The IPCC also publishes special reports on more specific topics.

In addition to the special report on the Oceans and the Cryosphere, two other special reports to be published in the future have been approved by the IPCC:

– The impact of the1.5 ° global warming compared to the pre-industrial era levels.

– Climate change, desertification, land-use change and food security.

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation:

In June 2006, Prince Albert II of Monaco created his Foundation to respond to the worrying environmental threats of our planet. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation works to protect the environment and promote sustainable development on a global scale. It intervenes in three priority areas:

– limiting the effects of climate change and promoting renewable energies – preserving biodiversity

– managing water resources and combating desertification.