The Reality of IPCC Authors in the 6th Assessment Cycle

Authors: Thomas Day² and Sarah Meadows¹

¹University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, ²Deloitte

ABSTRACT

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) plays a central role in informing decision-making on climate change, yet scholarship has paid limited attention to the authors who produce its assessment reports. This study examines the sixth assessment cycle, focusing on the skills required for successful authorship and the challenges encountered during the writing process. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with authors across all working groups, this study demonstrates the importance of “soft” skills—effective communication, adaptability, and the ability to integrate diverse perspectives—alongside scientific and technical expertise. Authors identified challenges in synthesizing large bodies of literature across globally distributed teams as a contributor to time constraints, leadership challenges, and communication limitations. These insights inform recommendations for training and process improvements, with broader implications for large-scale interdisciplinary scientific collaborations and the capacity of scientists to provide timely, actionable guidance to policymakers.

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