Participation in the IPCC’s Third Lead Author Meeting for the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities in Oslo, Norway

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Participation in the IPCC’s Third Lead Author Meeting for the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities in Oslo, Norway

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) held the Third Lead Author Meeting in Oslo, Norway from 12. – 16. January 2026 for the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. The Meeting was hosted by the Norwegian Environment Agency.

The Third Lead Author Meeting was attended by almost 100 experts from more than 50 countries, who have been selected by the IPCC Bureau to serve as Coordinating Lead Authors and Lead Authors on the report. Experts include researchers and practitioners, spanning expertise across climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Professor Dr. Matthias Garschagen, Chair of Human Geography, leading the Human-Environment Relations Research and Teaching Unit (HER) and Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences, participated in the Meeting in Mombasa, in his role as a Coordinating Lead Author in the Report. Prof. Garschagen has been invited and nominated to co-lead Chapter 3 on ‘Actions and solutions to reduce urban risks and emissions’. He plays a key role in the drafting and leading of one of the core chapters of the report, which will cover the evaluation of different types of measures to reduce urban risks (for example, to floods, droughts, cyclones) and to reduce emissions (for example, in the transport and buildings sectors). Dr. Deepal Doshi, a postdoctoral researcher in the HER team at the Department of Geography, LMU Munich, also participated in the Meeting in her role as Chapter Scientist for Chapter 3.

This meeting follows the Second Lead Author Meeting, held in Mombasa, Kenya, in July 2025 which made progress on the First Order Draft of the Special Report. After undergoing Expert Review, between 17. October 2025 and 12. December 2025, the chapters received these review comments in advance of the Third Lead Author Meeting. Discussion of the review comments and preparation towards the Second Order Draft were some of the main points on the agenda in Oslo. The Second Order Draft is due to be submitted in early April.

The Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is the only Special Report of the Seventh Assessment Cycle of the IPCC. The Special Report is tasked with providing an assessment of the latest available science on climate change and cities, including impacts and risks, adaptation and mitigation solutions, how to facilitate and accelerate change and finally, synthesize the information by city types and regions. The Report is scheduled to be published in March 2027.