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KAZAN, Russian Federation, Feb 28 - Experts nominated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will meet in Russia on 4-8 March 2019 to further develop the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC). This Special Report evaluates how the ocean and life in it as well as those areas of the Earth where water is found in its solid state, for example in the icy polar or high-mountain regions, will be affected by climate change. It assesses what these changes might mean for people around the world and how those changes may challenge a sustainable and equitable future.

About 130 scientists from 37 countries will come together in the city of Kazan for one week to work on the Chapters and the Summary for Policymakers and to consider review comments on the Second Order Draft of the report, which is due to be finalized in September.

The IPCC received 16,142 comments from 34 governments and 473 experts in the Government and Expert Review of the Second Order Draft of the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, which finished in January 2019.

The author teams carefully consider and address each comment when preparing the Final Draft of the report. This will be reviewed in the Final Government Distribution from 14 June to 9 August 2019. IPCC member governments will consider the Summary for Policymakers of the SROCC at the 51st Session of the IPCC on 20-23 September, in Monaco. Subject to approval, the report will be launched on 25 September.

"The broad range of expertise among reviewers ensures that the latest knowledge from all relevant scientific disciplines is included in the assessments and key questions of governments are addressed", said Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II. "We are therefore very grateful for the feedback we received. IPCC member governments from all parts of the world are encouraged to contribute to the final review this summer and support the authors in finalizing the draft report for approval."

Working Group II Co-Chair Debra Roberts said the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C that became available in October 2018 highlighted how people and natural ecosystems would benefit from limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

"The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate takes this story one step further by evaluating how human and natural communities with be affected by the impacts of climate change on two earth systems that touch all of our lives directly or indirectly, the ocean and the frozen areas of the world," she said. "It also assesses how we can set the course for a more sustainable and equitable future by reducing or better managing this impact."

Media briefing
Monday, 4 March 2019, 8:00 - 8:30
Kazan Federal University

Speakers:
Ko Barrett, IPCC Vice Chair
Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair IPCC WGII
Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Co-Chair IPCC WGI
Debra Roberts, Co-Chair IPCC WGII
Sergey Semenov, IPCC WGII Vice Chair

Media are also invited to attend the opening ceremony on Monday 4 March at 9:00-10:00. Please contact us at the addresses below for further information or additional interview requests.

Outreach event
Kazan Federal University
Tuesday, 5 March 2019, 18:30

Speakers:
Svetlana Selenovskaya, Director of the Institute of Ecology and Geography, Kazan Federal University
Ko Barrett, IPCC Vice-Chair
Sergey Semenov, IPCC Working Group II Vice-Chair
Valérie Masson-Delmotte, IPCC Working Group I Co-Chair
Hans-Otto Pörtner, IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair
Thelma Krug, IPCC Vice-Chair
Youba Sokona, IPCC Vice-Chair (moderation)
Tatiana Dmitriava, Deputy Head of Division, Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (interpretation)

The event will be held mostly in English. Consecutive interpretation will be provided after each talk summarizing the presentations as well as during the Q&A session when necessary.