IPCC Climate Change Summit To Meet April 6-8

WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change Press Advisory

IPCC to adopt major new report on safeguarding the ozone layer and the global climate system

Geneva, 5 April 2005 – The WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 6 - 8 April 2005 to finalize a Special Report on "Safeguarding the ozone layer and the global climate system: issues related to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs)".

This Special Report describes both scientific and technical information regarding alternatives to ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) that may affect the global climate system. It addresses scientific linkages between stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change, and how the phase-out of ODSs is affecting climate change. HFCs have no ozone-depleting potential but are greenhouse gases. They are used as replacements for ODSs in applications such as refrigeration and air-conditioning, foams, aerosol and solvents and fire protection. The report assesses options for reducing emissions of these greenhouse gases, explores their technical feasibility and cost, and addresses environmental, safety and health considerations.

The report was requested by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. It has been prepared jointly by Working Groups 1 and 3 of the IPCC in cooperation with the Montreal Protocol's Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP). The report will be accepted in Addis Ababa by delegates from over one hundred countries, who will also approve a Summary for Policymakers.

Journalists can cover this new report in two ways:

• The report's Summary for Policymakers will be posted on the Internet in English at http://www.ipcc.chat 12.00 noon Central European Time on Monday, 11 April 2005.

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