Why was the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change created?

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World map shaded to show annual carbon dioxide emissions by country in 2022, with China, the United States, and India highlighted as top emitters in dark red. A bar chart below lists the top ten emitting countries by million metric tons. — Greenhouse gas Map of annual carbon dioxide emissions by country in 2014.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme to serve as a critical foundation for public policy regarding global warming and climate change.1

Its primary mandate is to gather, assess, and summarize the latest scientific, technical, and socioeconomic data related to climate change. By providing these comprehensive reports to international organizations and national governments, the IPCC facilitates the development of informed policies based on a scientific consensus. These assessments evaluate the scientific basis of climate change, the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, and strategies for adapting to a changing climate.1