Nations Alarmed Over Potential Delays in UN Climate Assessment Following US Withdrawal

The European Union, the United Kingdom, and several climate-vulnerable developing nations have voiced significant concerns regarding potential delays in the next global climate assessment conducted by the United Nations’ climate science panel. Their concerns stem from the recent withdrawal of the United States from the process under the current administration.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which unites climate scientists from almost 200 nations to evaluate the state of the planet, is scheduled to meet in Hangzhou, China, next week. During this meeting, the panel will chart out the framework for its upcoming global climate report, known as the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7).

In a joint statement issued on Friday and accessed by Reuters, Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s climate chief, along with ministers from 17 countries including Britain, Germany, France, Spain, the Marshall Islands, and Guatemala, emphasized the importance of completing the report on time.

“It will be vital that all working group contributions to the Seventh Assessment Report are prepared in time,” the statement read.

“We owe it to everyone suffering the impacts of the climate crisis now, and to future generations, to make decisions about our planet’s future on the basis of the best evidence and knowledge available to us.”

U.S. Withdrawal Sparks Fears of Delays

The Trump administration’s decision to halt U.S. scientists’ participation in the IPCC and its refusal to attend next week’s meeting in Hangzhou have raised concerns among global leaders. According to officials familiar with the discussions, the absence of the U.S. from the process may lead to significant delays in the completion of the report.

Countries backing the joint statement fear that these delays could affect the 2028 Paris Agreement “stocktake,” during which nearly 200 nations will assess their progress in combating climate change and decide on stricter measures to curb global warming.

Donald Trump Administration’s Climate Policy Reversals

In a significant policy shift, U.S. President Donald Trump recently ordered the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement once again. This move reverses the Biden administration’s sweeping climate policies that had been aimed at tackling the climate crisis aggressively.

Adding to the concerns, billionaire Elon Musk is spearheading an effort within the administration to eliminate what he calls “wasteful spending” in federal programs. This initiative includes indiscriminately slashing the federal workforce and cutting funding for climate science, climate justice, and clean energy programs.

Developing Nations Condemn the Politicization of Climate Science

A second statement, published on Friday by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), a coalition of 45 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, strongly opposed any delays in the climate assessment process.

“Any backtracking on this process issue will be seen for what it is, politicization of science at the expense of vulnerable countries,” the statement asserted.

“People in the developing world have nothing to gain from restricting access to freely available IPCC science.”

The Role of IPCC Reports in Global Climate Policy

The last global climate assessment played a crucial role in the COP28 climate summit in 2023, where nearly 200 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels. That agreement was largely based on findings from the previous IPCC report, which highlighted the severe impacts of climate change and outlined the drastic emission cuts necessary to prevent further environmental disasters.

As the world looks ahead to the 2028 stocktake, the completion of the Seventh Assessment Report on schedule remains critical. Any disruptions could severely impact global climate policy decisions and hinder efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Conclusion

The global climate crisis requires urgent and coordinated action, and any delays in the UN’s climate assessment process could have far-reaching consequences. With the U.S. withdrawing from the IPCC process under the Trump administration and slashing funding for climate initiatives, concerns over the politicization of climate science are growing.

The upcoming IPCC meeting in Hangzhou is crucial for setting the course of the next Seventh Assessment Report, which will inform critical global decisions in the 2028 Paris Agreement stocktake. With vulnerable nations already facing devastating climate impacts, world leaders are emphasizing the importance of ensuring that scientific assessments remain transparent, timely, and free from political interference.

As climate change accelerates, global cooperation remains the key to securing a sustainable future. Ensuring that scientific reports like the IPCC’s assessments are completed without political delays is essential for making informed decisions that protect both present and future generations.