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Climate scientist Winston Chow has been nominated by Singapore to join the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Bureau.

What the role entails

The IPCC is the United Nations’ body for assessing the science related to climate change.

The body produces the most comprehensive scientific reports about climate change to guide policy makers.

IPCC's bureau is made up of 34 scientists, elected to provide guidance to the Panel on the scientific and technical aspects of its work, to advise on related management and strategic issues, and to take decisions on specific issues within its mandate.

Chow was nominated to be a developing country co-chair for IPCC Working Group (WG) II, which assesses the impact of climate change and options for adaptation.

This is for the upcoming seventh Assessment Report (AR7) cycle commencing in July 2023.

44-year-old Chow is an associate professor of urban climate at Singapore Management University (SMU). He is also a Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow.

His expertise is in climate change vulnerability in subtropical cities, as well as in urban heat island adaptation and mitigation.

He has been a Principal Investigator for the multi-institute Cooling Singapore Initiative since 2017, which develops climate-resilient solutions to address the urban heat challenge in Singapore.

Singapore's first nomination

This is first time Singapore is nominating someone to the IPCC Bureau.

In its announcement, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) that Chow is "well-qualified" to contribute to advancing climate science and shape recommendations for climate adaptations due to his "extensive experience in this field".

"This is particularly given that the IPCC has decided to include a Special Report on Cities and Climate Change in the AR7 cycle, which is an area in which he has done much research and field work," MSE added.

Chow was also the only Singaporean lead author for the chapters on “Cities, Settlements and Key Infrastructure,” and “Cities and Settlements by the Sea” in WG II's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).

On his nomination, Chow said that the climate challenges for the next assessment cycle are "manifold and complex", and the actions to minimise impacts and risks should reflect "the urgency we clearly see in scientific literature".

"The window for successful climate action is closing fast, and my hope and vision for the IPCC is to help steer humanity towards this window over the next climate assessment,” he added.

Elections to the IPCC Bureau will be held in July 2023.

Chow as a climate scientist

https://mothership.sg/2020/02/singapore-climate-change-winston-chow/

Top image via Masagos Zulkifli/Facebook