MONTREAL – Canada is hosting the 46th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Montreal this week. Hundreds of scientists and representatives from 195 countries are meeting from September 6 to 10, to decide on the scope of the IPCC’s sixth assessment report.

This report will provide state-of-the-art knowledge on climate change, and it will support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and Canada’s Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. The IPCC provides policymakers with scientific evidence to improve understanding of climate change impacts, future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation measures.

At IPCC opening plenary, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, underlined the importance of climate change science in their recorded video remarks.

“Climate change is a global challenge that requires a global solution‎. Countries around the world are taking action to fight climate change and support clean growth, and our policies must be based on the best available science,” said Minister McKenna. “As part of our government’s commitment to supporting science and taking a leadership role in tackling climate change, I am so proud that Canada is hosting climate scientists from 195 countries to share their research. By working together now, they can give governments the right tools to make good decisions for the future.” – Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

“Through collaboration with a wide range of subject-matter experts—including all orders of government, Indigenous organizations, and universities—great work is underway in Canada to support sound decisions and actions to adapt to climate change,” said Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources.

Canadians are invited to participate in these discussions by sharing their views via an online survey.

The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and by the United Nations Environment Programme.