The meetings we have had this week have allowed us to extract messages for city policymakers, to show them how to facilitate action. We have drawn on business, cities and scientists to coproduce the companion report. It’s imperative to have these conversations as we are running out of time to stop climate change and adapt to it for the sake of a liveable future.
Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair, IPCC Working Group II
21 July 2022
Key climate change advice for urban areas developed as King's hosts IPCC members
Members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), concerned that humankind is running out of time to secure a liveable future for humans and nature, met at King’s this week to identify key messages for city policymakers and businesses.
This week saw the Department of Geography host the Summary for Urban Policymakers (SUP) initiative, part of an effort to implement the recommendations in the latest IPCC reports at a more local level.
They are producing a companion series derived from the official IPCC reports, aimed at distilling the latest climate change science and advice for the urban context, and propelling implementation and deepening climate action in cities around the world.
At the meetings, members from the various IPCC Working Groups, made up of scientists representing climate physics, life and social science, met with city officials and key business partners to develop the messaging which bridges science, policy and practice.
For the global non-profit consortium, Resilience Rising, the meetings were part of their broader effort to activate collaborations and support urban resilience to climate change.
The SUP initiative fits into our broader effort to activate collaborations across the critical communities of practice who must act in concert to address climate change. This companion series, co-generated by city officials, businesses and scientists – all of whom have generously donated their time – extracts the most relevant and actionable urban content from the latest IPCC reports with the aim of accelerating and supporting the urban environment to address climate change.
Amanda Eichel, Executive Director, The Resilience Shift
King’s hosted the meetings as part of its contribution to facilitating global discussion on climate change.
These meetings have enabled the Department of Geography to build on its international research strength across climate science, adaptation and mitigation to facilitate a convening space for IPCC scientists, King’s researchers and city policymakers to bring science into action.
Mark Pelling, Professor of Geography and Coordinating Lead Author, IPCC Working Group II
About the IPCC reports
The IPCC reports, released in 2021 and 2022, include the latest science and are used by governments in their negotiations on climate change, such as those that took place at COP26 last November.
King’s has three Lead Authors working on the IPCC Assessment Reports: Dr Tamsin Edwards contributed her expertise on climate change science, and Professor Mark Pelling and Dr Helen Adams contributed their expertise on climate change adaptation.
Department of Geography at 100
In 2022, the King's Department of Geography celebrates its 100th anniversary – everything we have achieved, including this event, as well as our work to come.
In this story
Visiting Professor