This quarter we are profiling
the following:
The Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC)
National
Biodiversity Institute (NBI)
1. The IPCCThe
IPCC was established in 1988 by the World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - and its
role is to assess (on a comprehensive,
objective, open and transparent basis) - the
scientific, technical and socio-economic
information relevant to understanding climate
change - and specifically its potential impacts
and options for adaptation and
mitigation.
The IPCC does not carry out
research nor does it monitor climate related
data or other relevant parameters. Rather it
carries out its assessments based on information
contained within already published and peer
reviewed scientific and technical
literature.
The IPCC has three
working
groups - and a
task
force.
Working Group 1 - assesses
the scientific aspects of the climate system and
climate change.
Working Group 2 -
assesses the vulnerability of socio-economic and
natural systems to climate change, the negative
and positive consequences of climate change, and
the options for adapting to it.
Working
Group 3 - assesses options for limiting
greenhouse gas emissions and otherwise
mitigating climate change.
The
Task
Force is on national greenhouse gas
inventories.
The IPCC is managed by the
IPCC Secretariat which is hosted by the WMO in
Geneva and is supported by both the UNEP and the
WMO.
The IPCC has the following main
activities and products.
Its main activity is
to provide an assessment of the state of global
knowledge on climate change - at regular
intervals. It also prepares special reports and
technical papers on topics where independent
scientific information and advice is deemed
necessary and supports the UNFCCC through its
work on methodologies for national greenhouse
gas inventories.
Since its inception it
has produced three 'assessment reports':
The
First Assessment Report - in 1990
The Second
Assessment Report - in 1995
The Third
Assessment Report - in 2001
The Fourth
Assessment Report will be completed in
2007
For more information on the work of
the IPCC, and for access to its publications and
other outputs see
http://www.ipcc.ch/
2. The National
Botantical Institute (NBI)The NBI was
established in 1989 through the merging of the
Botanical Research Institute and the National
Botanical Gardens. In 2004 it is to be renamed
the 'National Biodiversity Institute'. Within
the NBI the "Ecological and Conservation'
Sub-Directorate implements programmes in climate
change research. All of these focus on the
impacts of climate change on the indigenous
flora and vegetation of Southern Africa. In
particular, the projects focus on:
- Effects of elevated CO2
This area of
research has been running since 1992 in the
Fynbos, Succulent Karoo, Savanna and Grassland
Biomes of South Africa. It has involved
modelling vegetation responses to changing
climate and CO2 concentrations.
- Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation
This
research is being carried out to examine the
potential effects of anticiipated future
increases in UV-B radaition due to ozone
depletion on the physiology, growth and
reproductive performance of SA plants.
- Changes in water availability
- Altered incidents of frost occurence Much of
the research has been funded by international
conservation organisations such as Conservation
International and the WWF.
The NBI was a key
contributor to the South African Country Studies
- in the Plant Biodiversity /Vulnerability and
Adaptation sector
For more information on the
climate related research being carried out by
the NBI - contact Guy Midgley or Mike Rutherford
at the NBI (Tel 021 799 8800) or read more on
their website National Botanical
Institute
