SINGAPORE – Two leading scientists from Singapore and Malaysia – both co-chairs under the UN’s top climate science body – are calling for more experts from South-east Asia to contribute to the next series of reports on the state of climate change.

       These comprehensive reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) give world leaders the most up-to-date information on climate change to help shape policies to combat this planetary crisis.

       The IPCC – which publishes the latest findings on climate science, global warming impacts and strategies to drive down carbon emissions – is in its seventh assessment cycle, which started in 2023.

       “Important climate information from South-east Asia is under-represented in global scientific assessments,” said Singapore’s Professor Winston Chow, co-chair of the IPCC Working Group II – which will produce a report on climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability.

       “(Researchers from the region) can help in assessing climate science and shaping action for our rapidly developing cities and for our most climate-vulnerable communities and ecosystems,” he added.

       In particular, there needs to be more localised solutions and ways to prevent disasters specific to South-east Asia, said Prof Chow, pointing to rising humid heat – which can be fatal – sea-level rise and severe storms.

       “In Indo-China, particularly coastal cities, it’s not just sea-level rise that’s the only issue. It’s also the tropical cyclones that are affecting many coastal cities in the Philippines and in Vietnam. Sea-level rise is also complicated with issues of land subsidence, especially in Jakarta,” the professor of urban climate at SMU told The Straits Times.

       By signing up, I accept SPH Media's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy as amended from time to time.

       On Oct 24, Prof Chow and Malaysia’s Dr Joy Jacqueline Pereira – co-chair of the IPCC Working Group III, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions – held a dialogue with more than 140 climate researchers and practitioners from the region, both in-person at the Resorts World Convention Centre and online.

       That same day, the severe tropical storm Trami lashed the northern Philippines, killing at least 40 people and displacing more than 150,000.

       The co-chairs shared with the experts about the IPCC processes and how they could contribute to the seventh cycle as authors of reports or academic reviewers, among other roles.

       Each IPCC cycle runs for five to seven years, and all the scientific tomes from the current cycle are expected to be published between 2027 and 2029. The previous cycle, which ended in early 2023, produced 29.3kg of reports.

       “We want to shrink that for the seventh assessment cycle,” Prof Chow said, noting that some have compared the IPCC to a “broken record, saying the same thing over and over again without getting things done”.

       The co-chairs want the seventh cycle to produce action-oriented reports.

       “After six cycles, Winston and I have had enough of research gaps. We want actions, solutions – how can we make things happen and accelerate (climate) action,” said Dr Pereira, a professor at the South-east Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

       The dialogue comes months before the call for author nominations for each working group’s main reports. Working Group I studies the latest physical science in climate change.

       In August, the IPCC called for potential authors for its special report on climate change and cities. Prof Chow said there were more applicants from the region compared with previous cycles, but “a bit more would’ve been nice”.

       Attendees raised questions for the co-chairs, ranging from limited data access that could impede research, to challenges related to time commitment and support for those involved in the IPCC.

       The thousands of scientists who volunteer their time and expertise to produce IPCC reports are not paid by the UN body.

       Dr Pereira said: “We hope that... if we have a critical mass of scientists involved from South-east Asia and the universities recognise this work, it becomes more valuable, and we’ll get time off like (in) developed countries.”

       Beyond climate experts, the IPCC also needs scientists of various disciplines such as social scientists and economists, she told ST.

       Prof Chow said: “How do you assess losses and damage without economics? How do you look into development without sociology? How do you look into the policies of climate change without a legal background?”