The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change halted its plenary session in Addis Ababa on Friday without establishing a firm schedule for releasing its seventh assessment report on climate science. The comprehensive study, known as AR7, had been slated for publication in 2028, roughly seven years after the previous assessment in 2021. However, a coalition of nations including Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, China, and Kenya has advocated for postponing the release to 2029 or later.
The delegations seeking a delay contend that climate science research is concentrated in developed nations, which they argue has introduced bias into the IPCC’s conclusions. They maintain that postponing the report would create space for greater scientific contributions from developing countries. Scientists and policy experts, conversely, express concern that a delay would prevent the assessment from informing governments’ next round of emissions reduction commitments. These updated pledges are scheduled for review at the Cop33 climate summit in late 2028, a pivotal moment designated for the second global stocktake under the Paris agreement framework.
The scientific community disputes the case for postponement on practical grounds. Most research destined for AR7 has already undergone publication and entered the review phase, making it difficult to incorporate new sources at this advanced stage. The IPCC maintains that it already employs rigorous methods to ensure worldwide scientific representation and actively works to prevent developed-country bias. Additionally, critics note that the nations advocating delay possess substantial scientific infrastructure and resources themselves, or could finance research initiatives in other developing countries if they genuinely wished to do so.
One proposed middle ground involves the IPCC advancing efforts to incorporate more developing-world research and reviewing its procedures for equity while maintaining the 2028 deadline for the first section covering fundamental climate physics, with subsequent portions addressing global impacts and mitigation strategies potentially released later. Civil society organizations remain split on the approach, with some viewing delays as obstacles to emissions reduction progress and others emphasizing the importance of ensuring meaningful participation by developing-country scientists.
A group of 117 scientists, including researchers from developing nations, have pledged to continue their work regardless of the scheduling dispute. IPCC chair Jim Skea announced intentions to reconvene discussions promptly. The matter is expected to surface during the Cop31 climate talks next month in Turkey.
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