The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a Call for experts to participate in the Scoping Meeting for the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. The IPCC Focal Point for Italy invites expressions of interest from national experts to participate in the meeting. The call for nominations is open until November 14, 2023, h. 13.00 CET. A webinar to present the details of the Call for experts will take place on November 8, 14:00 – 15:00 CET. (More information on the webinar).

During its 43rd Plenary Session (Nairobi, Kenya, 11–13 April 2016) the IPCC made the decision to incorporate a Special Report on Climate Change and Cities into the seventh assessment cycle.

To develop the scope and outline of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, a Scoping Meeting will be held in late March/early April 2024. The exact dates and  location of the  meeting will be communicated upon confirmation. The Scoping Meeting will result in a Scoping Paper describing the objectives and the annotated outline of the Special Report, as well as the process and timeline for its preparation that will be considered by the IPCC at its 61st Plenary Session to decide the scope, outline and workplan on the Special Report.

For nominations for participation in Scoping Meetings, consideration is given to the following criteria: scientific, technical and socio-economic expertise, including the range of views; geographical representation; a mixture of experts with and without previous experience in IPCC; gender balance; experts with a background from relevant stakeholder and user groups, including governments.

A more detailed description of the IPCC Procedures for the preparation, review, acceptance, adoption, approval and publication of IPCC Reports is available on the IPCC website.   

Participants in the Scoping Meeting should have expertise in the following areas in the context of climate change and cities:

Biophysical: expertise examples include urban meteorology and climatology, urban  meteorological/energy/water/carbon/air quality modelling and observational monitoring, urban carbon  cycle, urban hydrology, urban biodiversity, land-atmosphere interactions;

Impacts and Risks, including (i) Economic and Non-economic Losses and Damages and (ii)  Compounding and Cascading Aspects: expertise examples include statistical climatology,  detection and attribution of climate extremes, heat islands and urban overheating, air pollution, inland  and coastal flooding, critical infrastructure including power, digital communication and transport, water/energy/food/health nexus, food security, health, supply chain, vulnerability, losses and  damages, risk management, disaster risk reduction, risk modelling;

Sectoral Development, Adaptation, Mitigation and Responses to Losses and Damages: expertise examples include built environment, urban planning, building design and materials,  tourism, urbanization trends, informal settlements, migration and urban poverty, water management, energy systems, infrastructure, ecosystems and biodiversity, nature based solutions/ecosystem based adaptation, livelihood and communities perspectives issues, urban scenarios/pathways, transportation systems and mobility services, industry, urban agriculture and food production, waste management, climate services and early warning systems, environmental psychology;

Energy and Emissions: expertise examples include emission inventory, urban and embodied  emissions, urban energy demand and services, energy mix, urban energy management, power grid  layout, standards and regulations, carbon accounting, urban carbon sequestration, renewable energy, life cycle assessment;

Governance, Policy, Institutions, Planning and Finance: expertise examples include typology of  cities and decision frameworks, urban planning, architecture, smart cities, mitigation/adaptation  policies, energy security, water security and sanitation, barriers and enabling conditions for urban  climate finance, insurance, livable cities, role of normative principles in governance, science,  technology and innovation for sustainable cities, articulation between local and national development  priorities, climate resilient development in cities, Sustainable Development Goals, environmental, social and governance reporting;

Civil Society: expertise examples include social coherence, justice, equity, ethics, gender,  intersectionality science, decision making, science/policy interaction, communication, digital/cyber  security, indigenous knowledge systems, diversity of urban stakeholders involved in climate  responses, city networks/alliances, environmental advocacy.

While the final outline for the Special Report may not include all areas listed above, broad expertise is solicited in order to determine robust areas for consideration. In selecting scoping meeting participants, consideration will be given to the following criteria: scientific, technical and socio economic expertise, including the range of views; geographical representation; a mixture of experts with and without previous experience in IPCC; gender balance; and experts with a background from  relevant stakeholder and user groups, including urban practitioners and planners, representatives of civil society organizations and local/regional governments.

How to apply 

The IPCC Focal Point for Italy invites expressions of interest from national experts to participate in the scoping of this Special Report and will submit nominations meeting the expertise criteria and minimum application standards to the IPCC official platform. The final selection of participants will be carried out by the IPCC Bureau.

To be considered for participation, please follow these steps: 

• Download the .xlsx form from this link
• Fill the Excel nomination form (please note that the form has two tabs);
• Send an email message to: [email protected] including
  • Excel nomination form filled in all the required fields
  • an updated CV (2 to 4 pages – max file size is 2MB – .pdf format)
• Send the nomination form and CV to [email protected] in .xlsx and .pdf format respectively, by November 14, 2023, h. 13.00 CET.

Nominations that do not follow these instructions will not be considered in the selection process.

For those authors whose candidature will be accepted by the IPCC Bureau, please note that the costs for participating in the Scoping Meeting will need to be covered by the participant’s affiliated institution.

“Open Hour” webinar

The IPCC Focal Point for Italy will host an “Open Hour” webinar on Wednesday, November 8, at 14:00-15:00 CET to introduce the Call and clarify all aspects of the nomination process. The webinar will be hosted by Anna Pirani, CMCC and Focal Point alternate for Italy, who also served as executive editor of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C and the AR6 Working Group I 2021 Climate Report on the physical science basis of climate change, and was an author of the IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report. The webinar will include a Q&A session and is open to all.

To join the webinar please register here.