The IPCC and Antarctica

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How well is the scientific community doing on providing policy makers with evidence for climate change and predictions for its future trends? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of the flagships of international scientific collaboration. Every five years, IPCC Working Group 1 compiles the state of the art in the science of climate change. The Third Assessment Report was presented in 2001, and writing of the Fourth Assessment Report began in the autumn of 2004. External, invited experts reviewed the initial draft last May and the final report will be made available to governments and public in late 2006. In September 2005 the first draft will even be published on the Internet for an eight-week external review period by anyone interested.