UN Climate Report Work Begins Amid US Resistance

Around 600 climate experts convened near Paris on Monday to begin work on the next major United Nations climate assessment, at a time when global consensus on climate action is being tested by the stance of US President Donald Trump.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) last warned in 2023 that the world was on course to surpass the 1.5°C warming threshold by 2030. The UN now says this limit may be crossed even sooner, increasing the risk of severe storms, floods and droughts.

Scientists from more than 100 countries are meeting in Saint-Denis for a five-day session that marks the launch of the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), expected in 2028 or 2029. For the first time, lead authors are gathering in a single venue to better address interdisciplinary climate challenges.

However, their work may face complications due to the position of the US administration, whose president has repeatedly dismissed climate change as a “hoax”. A French ecological transition ministry official, speaking anonymously, said such statements remain “surprising”.

The IPCC functions on a consensus basis. “If any country opposes the text, the report cannot be approved. Every country effectively has a veto,” climate scientist Robert Vautard said during a recent press briefing.

Differences have already emerged over the report’s publication date. The High Ambition Coalition — which includes EU nations and climate-vulnerable countries — is pushing for release in 2028, aligning it with the next global stocktake required under the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, several emerging economies and major fossil fuel producers argue that more time is needed and prefer 2029.

This divide mirrors tensions seen at the recent COP30 climate summit in Belem, which ended with a deal that stopped short of explicitly calling for a fossil fuel phase-out.

Despite the disagreements, IPCC chairman Jim Skea said earlier this year that he does not believe the panel is in crisis and expects the timeline issue to be resolved.