Exeter’s high profile role in climate change report

This is more than any other academic institution in the UK, and only Exeter and the University of East Anglia have experts working in each of the three working groups of the report.

The University’s involvement in AR5 is second only in the UK to the Met Office Hadley Centre, which was this year recognised as the world’s top geosciences research centre by Times Higher Education.

Professor Peter Cox, leader of the University’s research on Climate Change and Sustainable Futures, has been selected as a Lead Author in the Evaluation of Climate Models chapter of the first working group of the report.

He said: “It’s great that we will have so many authors on the next IPCC report, which has a huge scope and is of such great importance to future policy on climate change.”

“This is confirmation that Exeter is now a leading player in climate change research. Our involvement across the three working groups is particularly pleasing as it reflects our inclusive interdisciplinary approach to the climate change problem.”

Due to be published in 2014, AR5 will review and assess the latest climate science to give authoritative guidance on the science of climate change, the impacts of changes to our climate, and how we can adapt to or reduce those impacts. The document will guide governments and decision-makers across the globe on policies to tackle climate change.

In all, 831 highly qualified experts will be working on the report, and they have been selected from more than 3000 nominations from all over the world.

According to the IPCC, each one has been selected to ensure they are leading experts in their respective fields, with a range of scientific views on climate change represented.

The experts are drawn from fields including meteorology, physics, oceanography, statistics, engineering, ecology, social sciences and economics.

University of Exeter staff taking part in AR5 are as follows:

- Professor Matthew Collins, from the University's School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, is Coordinating Lead Author on the Working Group 1 chapter on ‘Long-term Climate Change: Projections, Commitments and Irreversibility’.

- Professor Pierre Friedlingstein, from the University's School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, is a Lead Author in the same chapter.

- Professor Peter Cox, from the University's School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, is a Lead Author in the Working Group 1 chapter on ‘Evaluation of Climate Models’.

- Professor David Stephenson, from the University's School of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, is a Lead Author in the Working Group1 chapter on ‘Climate Phenomena and their Relevance for Future Regional Climate Change’.

- Dr Suraje Dessai, from the University's School of Geography, is a Lead Author in the Working Group 2 chapter on ‘Foundations for Decision-making’.

- Professor Michael Finus, from the University's Business School, is a Lead Author in the Working Group 3 chapter on ‘International Cooperation: Agreements and Instruments’.

- Professor Catherine Mitchell, from the University's School of Geography, is a lead author in the Working Group 3 chapter on ‘National and Sub-National Policies and Institutions’.