Process for nominations of Canadian climate change experts

Call for nominations process

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) invites member governments, accredited observer organizations and members of its scientific advisory body to nominate experts to contribute to IPCC activities through their respective national Focal Points. Canada's Focal Point to the IPCC is Marc D'Iorio, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Science and Technology Branch at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

Calls for nominations for Canadians to contribute to IPCC reports or participate in IPCC expert meetings or workshops are coordinated by the IPCC Secretariat for Canada, housed within ECCC's Science and Technology Branch. After the IPCC launches an international call for nominations, the Canadian Secretariat solicits nominations from Canadian experts by sharing the call through an extensive email distribution list. To be added to the IPCC Secretariat for Canada's email distribution list, please contact ipcc-giec.canada@ec.gc.ca.

The IPCC Secretariat for Canada sets a national application deadline several days in advance of the IPCC deadline to allow time for the review and assessment of nominations. All nominations are assessed by a Government of Canada Review Committee, which is composed of Canadian scientists and experts who are actively engaged in science assessments or climate change policy development. Review Committee members are responsible for reaching consensus on a list of recommended candidates for Canada's Focal Point to put forward to the IPCC.

The IPCC Secretariat for Canada informs successful candidates of their nomination status; however, the IPCC is responsible for making final decisions based on their assessment criteria and the global pool of applicants. Individuals selected to contribute to IPCC reports or participate in IPCC expert meetings/workshops are notified directly by the IPCC.

Nomination assessment criteria

ECCC welcomes submissions from experts who hold Canadian citizenship and/or who live and work in Canada. When assessing nominations, the Review Committee primarily considers expertise and merit:

• the relevance of the applicant's expertise to the call for nomination and the specific position/role
• the significance of the scientific contribution - such as the quality and number of publications in relevant areas of expertise
• international experience

Additionally, the Review Committee considers, as appropriate:

• coverage across the three IPCC working group areas (physical science basis of climate change; impacts, adaptation and vulnerabilities; and mitigation)
• gender and geographic balance
• a mixture of experts with and without previous IPCC experience
• expertise from a range of organizations (e.g., governments, universities, Indigenous organizations, private sector, civil society, etc.)

The IPCC considers similar criteria when assessing the global pool of applicants. In the case of geographic representation, the focus is on ensuring appropriate representation from developing countries, countries with economies in transition and developed countries. Once the selection process is finalized, the list of selected experts is made available on the IPCC website.

Questions? Please contact ipcc-giec.canada@ec.gc.ca.