Science: IPCC

The IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report presents important advances in the scientific understanding of climate change and its projected effects.

The report consists of three parts, each of which is explored below:

Working Group I (WGI): The Scientific Basis
Climate change is happening, we are causing it, and the outlook is worse than previously thought.

Working Group II (WGII): Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
Impacts for human systems will be bad, for natural systems worse, and there is potential for catastrophe.

Working Group III (WGIII): Mitigation
Options exist for slowing climate change, many of which could begin now at no net cost.

For each part, a Summary for Policymakers (SPM) and a Technical Summary (TS) is available for download from the IPCC Website.