IPCC meeting in Ethiopia ends without agreement on assessment report timeline

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2024 synthesis meeting in Addis Ababa ended in profound disappointment on Tuesday when member states failed for the sixth time to agree on a timeline for publishing the next assessment report. Delegates from more than 190 countries gathered in Ethiopia’s capital to set a schedule for the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and its accompanying special reports on climate impacts, mitigation and adaptation. The meeting concluded without a consensus, leaving the panel’s flagship scientific output without a clear release date.

The deadlock reflects deep divisions over how quickly the panel should issue its findings and how they should be framed. Developed nations, led by the United States and the European Union, pushed for an accelerated schedule to inform the upcoming UN climate summit in Baku, hoping the report would sharpen political commitments. In contrast, several developing countries, including India, Brazil and a bloc of African states, warned that a rushed timeline could compromise the thoroughness of peer review and overlook regional data gaps. The disagreement also ties into broader geopolitical tensions, with China and the United States still at odds over emissions accounting and the role of fossil‑fuel subsidies. Past attempts to set a timeline in 2022, 2023 and earlier this year have similarly collapsed, underscoring how politicised the IPCC process has become despite its scientific mandate.

With no timetable in place, the IPCC will reconvene its bureau in late November to draft a provisional schedule that may be put to a vote at the next plenary in early 2025. In the meantime, scientists warn that the delay could blunt the impact of the report on policy decisions ahead of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil. NGOs and climate advocates are calling on governments to prioritize the report’s completion, arguing that without fresh, authoritative science the world risks missing crucial windows to limit warming to 1.5 °C. The outcome of the November meeting will likely signal whether the panel can regain momentum or remain mired in diplomatic stalemate, with implications for global climate action for years to come.