Chapter 7 Australian Participation in the IPCCC

Organisational Arrangements > Arrangements 1993-2003

Through a process of consultations with representatives from research organisations, Commonwealth and State Government Departments, and business and conservation groups during early 1993, there emerged general agreement to Australian participation in the IPCC Second Assessment, with acknowledgment of the need to identify the issues that are of priority interest in an Australian context bearing in mind Australia's economic and geographic circumstances, and to identify recognised experts within Australia in these priority areas.

Following Dr Tegart's retirement from the Australian Public Service in 1993, revised national coordination arrangements were put in place as follows:

• Dr J W Zillman, Director of Meteorology, became Principal Delegate of Australia to IPCC with Mr I Carruthers, Assistant Secretary, Atmospheric Protection Branch of Environment Australia, DEST (now Senior Executive Manager, Australian Greenhouse Office) as Alternate Principal Delegate;
• Overall coordination of Australian involvement in the IPCC and provision of policy and administrative support for Australian delegations was to be provided by a secretariat within the (now) Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) with the involvement of relevant officers from the Bureau of Meteorology; and
• Coordination of Australian involvement in the individual Working Groups of the IPCC was handled as follows:
  • Working Group I coordinated by the Bureau of Meteorology;
  • Working Group II coordinated by (then) DEST (and since 1998 by AGO); and
  • Working Group III coordinated by DPIE (from 1998 by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and since 2000 by the AGO).

As part of the 1992-1993 restructuring of the IPCC, a new and larger IPCC Bureau was established including the Co-chairs and Vice-chairs of the three Working Groups and one regional representative from each of the six World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regions. The Australian Principal Delegate represented WMO Region V (South-West Pacific) on the IPCC Bureau with responsibility for liaison with IPCC contacts in South-West Pacific countries on matters of particular regional concern. This function was facilitated by Dr Zillman’s concurrent appointment as the WMO Region V Rapporteur on Climate Change Issues, including IPCC Assessments and the FCCC Implementation.

After the completion of the SAR, the IPCC maintained the existing Bureau until it was ready to commence preparation of the Third Assessment Report in 1997. At the Thirteenth Session of the Panel in September 1997, the structure of the Bureau was modified for the Third Assessment, keeping the same degree of geographic and regional balance but focusing on improving the intellectual balance on the Working Group Bureaus to enable the IPCC Bureau to fulfil a ‘review editor’ role. Dr J W Zillman retained a position as the Region V representative on Working Group 1.

Following the completion of the TAR in September 2001, the new IPCC Bureau was elected at the Nineteenth Session of the IPCC in April 2002. Dr Zillman was elected as Region V representative on the Working Group II Bureau, with Dr M Manning of New Zealand elected to Working Group I and Dr Sutamihardja of Indonesia to Working Group III. Dr D Wratt of New Zealand later replaced Dr Manning on the Working Group I Bureau following the appointment of the latter to the Working Group I Technical Support Unit. Figure 7.3 shows the current IPCC Bureau. The Working Group structure for the Fourth Assessment is as for the TAR, although there will be a more substantial focus on cross-cutting issues, such as, uncertainty, risk and decision making, integration of adaptation and mitigation (including costs), issues related to sustainable development and climate change, and technology.

Figure 7.3 The IPCC Bureau for the Fourth Assessment Report.