The IPCC was created in 1988 by two United Nations organizations, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 43/53. Membership of the IPCC is open to all members of the WMO and UNEP. The IPCC generates reports that support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is the primary international treaty on climate change. The greatest objective of the UNFCCC will be to “stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. IPCC reports cover the scientific, technical and socio economic information related to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for mitigation and adaptation.
The IPCC does not carry out its own original research, nor does it do the work of occurrences that are related or monitoring climate itself. The IPCC bases its assessment on the printed literature, including peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed sources.
Tens of thousands of scientists and other specialists give (on a voluntary basis, without payment from the IPCC) to writing and reviewing reports, which are then reviewed by governments. IPCC reports contain a “Summary for Policymakers”, which will be subject to line-by-line approval by delegates from all participating governments. Typically this requires the governments of more than 120 nations.
The IPCC provides creating reports which have the agreement of leading climate scientists, an internationally accepted authority on climate change and the consensus of participating governments. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was shared, in two equal parts, between the IPCC and Al Gore.