2.5
IASC and the Arctic Climate Impact
Assessment (ACIA)
Robert W. Corell and Terry Callaghan
Reviewer: Lars-Otto Reiersen
- There is continuing imperative to communicate
research advances in terms that are relevant to
decision-making.
The Second Assessment Report (SAR), also chaired
by Bert Bolin, was issued in 1995 and provided key
input to the negotiations which led to the adoption
How ACIA came about is here split into two
of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC in 1997. One
sub-chapters: The first is the more detailed account
of its main conclusions was “The balance of evi-
written by Robert W. Corell, chief architect for the
dence suggests a discernible human influence on
initiation of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
climate change.”
(ACIA) program and setting the global stage for this
initiative. In the second sub-chapter, one of the
It is important to note that during the mid-1990s,
leading scientists in ACIA, Terry Callaghan, gives an
Bert Bolin (member of the IASC Executive Commit-
account of the initiative from his perspective.
tee) and Robert Corell (Chair of the IASC Regional
Board and as such also member of the IASC Exec-
2.5.1
utive Committee) from the US NSF began a series
of off-line discussions about the importance of
assessing the consequences of climate change for
‘hot zones of change’ across the planet. Those dis-
The Development of ACIA
Robert W. Corell
cussions, actually held outside the preview of IASC,
focused on three regions: Amazonia and its central
importance to global-scale climate change process-
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
es; the Indian Monsoon and its relation to global
(IPCC) was established in 1988 by two United
climate change; and the Arctic region with substan-
Nations (UN) Organizations—the World Meteorolog-
tial changes that appeared to exceed the global
ical Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment
norms of climate change. These two then decided
Programme (UNEP) to assess “the scientific, techni-
to approach IASC with the idea of an Arctic climate
cal and socioeconomic information relevant for the
change assessment, that later became known as
understanding of the risk of human-induced climate
ACIA. There were several drafts of documents, pre-
change.”
pared by Bolin and Corell and presented to the IASC
Executive Committee, and eventually the Council
The First Assessment Report (FAR), chaired by Bert
and the Regional Board of IASC.
Bolin from Sweden, was completed in 1990 (the
same year as IASC was founded) and played an im-
IASC was a non-governmental official observer to
portant role in establishing the Intergovernmental
the Arctic Council (as it had been to the predeces-
Negotiating Committee for the UN Framework Con-
sor of the Arctic Council, the AEPS). The IASC rep-
vention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which pro-
resentative (as the Regional Board Chair) was Rob-
vides the overall policy framework for addressing
ert Corell. The IASC Executive Committee decided
the climate change issue. In its scientific findings,
that IASC should propose an assessment of climate
the FAR concluded that:
change in the Arctic region. Such a presentation
was made during the US Chairmanship of the Arctic
- Anthropogenic climate change will persist for
many centuries.
hensive assessment built on principles that guided
- Further action is required to address remaining
implementation of the IPCC. Those principles were
gaps in information and understanding.
46
00
Council; i.e., 1998-2000. IASC proposed a compre-
presented by IASC to the Arctic Council.
02 IASC Initiatives