“These appointments are a strong recognition of Lund University’s prominent climate research and its international significance. Our researchers contribute to the scientific evidence that forms the basis for climate policy around the world,” says Erik Renström, Vice-Chancellor of Lund University.
The report assesses and synthesises scientific research on climate change. It provides governments with scientific data for developing and evaluating climate policy and serves as an important foundation for international climate negotiations. Simply put, the report plays a central role in the global climate policy process.
“The report is meant to show what is possible, not just what would be desirable. My task is to assess how realistic the scenarios’ paths forward actually are,” says Aleh Cherp, a professor at the International Institute for Environmental Economics (IIIEE) and an expert on energy transitions.
Aleh Cherp is the lead author of Working Group III, Chapter 3: Projected futures in the context of sustainable development and climate change.
664 experts - out of 3,700 nominees
A total of 664 experts, selected by the IPCC, are participating. 3,700 people were nominated.
The researchers will work in three working groups addressing the physical science basis of climate change, impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, as well as climate actions to reduce emissions.
”The climate transition is not just about how we produce energy and goods, but also about how we organise our daily lives and meet our needs. I am particularly looking forward to helping ensure that research on consumption, lifestyles, and the demand side receives a well-founded and balanced treatment in the report,” says Oksana Mont, a professor at the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) and an expert on governance for sustainable consumption.
Oksana Mont is the Review Editor for Working Group III, Chapter 8: Services and Demand. In this role, she will help ensure the scientific quality, consistency, and balance of the assessment.
Work will continue through 2029
The report’s development process will continue through 2029 and conclude with a synthesis report summarising the findings of the three working groups.
“The feasibility of climate change mitigation is influenced by a variety of economic, social, technical, environmental, and institutional factors. These factors can enable or hinder climate action. My role is to assess the empirical evidence on factors that enable effective climate mitigation," says Luis Mundaca, a professor at the International Institute for Environmental Economics (IIIEE) who conducts research in behavioral and environmental economics as well as policy analysis.
He has been appointed Lead Author in Working Group III, Chapter 5: Enablers and Barriers.
Professor Emily Boyd of the Center for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) conducts research on poverty, livelihoods, and resilience in relation to global environmental change. She has been appointed Lead Author in Working Group II, Chapter 5: Responses to losses and damages.
The four researchers from Lund University will participate in two of the working groups. One is Working Group II, which analyzes the effects of climate change, adaptation, and vulnerability in natural and human systems; the other is Working Group III, which focuses on emissions reductions and climate actions, as well as the social, economic, and institutional conditions that enable or limit the climate transition.