Professor Jim Skea of the UK has been selected as the new Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). With almost four decades of climate science experience, Skea’s appointment comes as the IPCC prepares to embark on its seventh assessment cycle. The election took place during the 59th session of the IPCC at the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. “Climate change is an existential threat to our planet. My ambition is to lead an IPCC that is truly representative and inclusive, an IPCC looking to the future while exploiting the opportunities that we have in the present. An IPCC where everyone feels valued and heard,” said Skea in his address to the delegates attending the IPCC elections. “In this, I will pursue three priorities – improving inclusiveness and diversity, shielding scientific integrity and policy relevance of IPCC assessment reports, and making the effective use of the best available science on climate change. My actions as the Chair of the IPCC will ensure that these ambitions are realised.” The election process was a competitive one, with four candidates vying for the position of IPCC Chair. Notably, this marked the first time in the history of the IPCC that women candidates contested for the role. Skea, aged 69, currently serves as the Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London. He previously served as the Co-Chair of Working Group III during the IPCC’s sixth assessment cycle. With the new Bureau elected, comprising 34 members, including the Chair, the IPCC is set to begin work on its Seventh Assessment Report, expected to be completed within the next five to seven years. Additionally, the Panel will elect the 12 members of the Task Force Bureau on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
#IPCC elects Jim Skea as the new Chair@JimSkeaIPCC of the United Kingdom is the newly elected Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on #ClimateChange.
Jim has nearly 40 years of climate science experience & expertise to lead the IPCC’s seventh cycle.
➡️ https://t.co/JgWufINeg3 pic.twitter.com/UaiOKCDiAf
— IPCC (@IPCC_CH) July 26, 2023
