IPCC Delay Could Slow Southeast Asia’s Climate Planning, Says Malaysian Expert
PHNOM PENH, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- A delay in the release of a key climate report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) could deprive millions of farmers of timely scientific insights to help them adapt to erratic weather and protect their crops and livelihoods.
IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) was scheduled for release in 2028, but some countries are pushing for a one-year extension.
The IPCC’s 65th plenary meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, slated from Oct 12 to 16, was suspended last Friday after countries failed to agree on a timetable for AR7 or the 2027 budget, according to media reports.
International climate scientists have warned that extending the AR7 publication timeline will have serious implications for developing countries, as El Niño and the impacts of climate change burden governments and farming communities.
“We lose more than a year of scientific knowledge. We lose a year in which that knowledge could have informed decisions on infrastructure, food security, public finance and climate resilience,” Kuala Lumpur-based Climate Change Advisor to the Centre for Governance and Political Studies (CENT-GPS) Dr Renard Siew Yung Jhien, told Bernama.
“For countries in ASEAN, adaptation is not an abstract policy discussion. It is about where we invest, which risks we anticipate and who we protect first.
“Without an updated, fully-vetted IPCC assessment on Southeast Asia, Mekong countries will have to bargain for international climate finance using outdated, generic data.”
In a press statement dated Oct 19, global environmental movement Greenpeace said the delay could put governments in a quandary, as they need scientific data to formulate mitigation and adaptation measures and budget policies beforehand.
“This is another deeply frustrating setback in efforts to have the best and latest climate science available for governments at the next global stocktake,” Greenpeace International Deputy Programme Director Jasper Inventor said in the statement.
The IPCC’s assessment reports, published roughly every five to seven years, provide the core scientific basis for global climate policy.
Fresh scientific data is crucial for governments to develop strategies to address the climate crisis, especially in regions such as Southeast Asia, which is prone to floods, storms and droughts every year.
In Myanmar, authorities have set up about 600 heat shelters as they predict a “Super El Niño” to hit the country at the end of this year, while an extensive public awareness campaign on possible water shortages and careful use of drinking water is being conducted.
Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management said in July that over 100,000 hectares of rice fields in seven provinces suffered severe droughts associated with El Nino.
Siew said El Niño could bring higher temperatures, disrupted rainfall and water stress, threatening crop yields, farm incomes and food security across Southeast Asia.
“A report published a year later will not help a farmer decide whether to adjust planting schedules or manage irrigation today. Farmers need timely forecasts, early-warning systems, practical agricultural support and financing before losses occur,” he said.
The row comes at a critical time, just weeks before the landmark 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will take place in Antalya, Türkiye, from Nov 9 to 20.
Climate scientists and world leaders are expected to debate pressing global warming issues and worsening climate impacts.
-- BERNAMA
