The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The IPCC that assesses the scientific literature on climate change concluded in its fourth assessment report that the temperature rise of the last 50 years is with great certainty are man-made
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was founded in 1988 as a follow-up to the Brundtland report entitled “Our Common Future”. The Climate Panel counts hundreds of scientists from all over the world that contribute to the task of assessing climate change and its potential impact in the light of the scientific literature available, as well as proposing ways to adapt to and counteract changes in the climate.
The IPCC released its first assessment report in 1990, the second in 1995, the third in 2001 and the fourth and most recent report in 2007. The fifth assessment report is expected in 2013 or 2014. In addition, the IPCC publishes an on-going series of special and technical reports. The panel's reports have been important to international climate negotiations.
Since the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force in 1994, the IPCC has also provided technical and scientific advice to UNFCCC bodies.
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change
In 2007 the IPCC published “Climate Change 2007”, its fourth assessment report on climate change. The report provides a comprehensive scientific assessment of climate change. It is the result of several thousand climate scientists’ work over a period of many years.
The conclusion of the assessment report is clear: the world's leading scientists agree with great certainty that the increasing global temperatures experienced within the past 50 years are man-made.