What Is the IPCC and What Does It Do?

Interactive passage with audio narration, comprehension questions, and printable PDF.

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Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 345678
Subjects: elareadingscience
Languages: English, Spanish

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About this reader

This NGSS-aligned reading passage introduces middle school students to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The passage explains how the IPCC was formed, what it does, and why its reports are so important for understanding and responding to global climate change. Students learn about the role of greenhouse gas emissions, the structure of working groups, and how science can guide global policy. The passage also highlights the IPCC’s Nobel Peace Prize and its impact on climate awareness. Ideal for building understanding of climate systems and Earth and Human Activity standards in the NGSS.

Written by Neha Goel TripathiPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the world's largest climate science organization. It does not conduct experiments or collect data in laboratories. Instead, the IPCC brings together thousands of scientists from around the world to review and summarize all existing climate research. Scientists examine tens of thousands of published studies to create clear reports that governments and the public can understand and use.

The IPCC operates through a careful process called peer review. Scientists from many different countries read the same research papers and check each other's work. They look for patterns in the evidence and identify what the data shows. When experts from different nations and backgrounds examine the same information and reach the same conclusions, this creates scientific consensus. Scientific consensus does not mean everyone simply agrees. It means that experts have carefully reviewed the evidence and found strong support for specific conclusions.

The IPCC organizes its work into three main groups. Working Group I examines the physical science of climate change. Working Group II studies how climate change affects ecosystems and human societies. Working Group III explores ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Each group includes hundreds of scientists who volunteer their time. These experts spend years reading research papers, discussing findings, and writing detailed reports. Governments then review these reports before the IPCC publishes them.

In 2021, the IPCC released its Sixth Assessment Report. More than 700 scientists from 90 countries contributed to this report. They reviewed over 14,000 scientific papers published since the previous report. The report confirmed that human activities are warming the planet and explained how different levels of warming would affect Earth's systems. This massive review process ensures that IPCC reports represent the most reliable climate information available.

The IPCC matters because it provides a trusted source of climate information. Policymakers use IPCC reports to make decisions about energy, agriculture, and environmental protection. Scientists value the reports because they summarize vast amounts of research in one place. The public benefits from having access to carefully checked information rather than conflicting claims. When thousands of experts review the same evidence and reach agreement, their conclusions carry significant weight.

Interesting Fact: The IPCC has published six major assessment reports since 1990, and each report involves more scientists and reviews more studies than the previous one. The organization shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its work communicating climate science to the world.

What is the main function of the IPCC?

To conduct climate experiments in laboratoriesTo review and summarize existing climate researchTo create new climate data through fieldworkTo enforce climate laws in different countries

How many scientists contributed to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report in 2021?

About 200 scientistsAbout 400 scientistsMore than 700 scientistsMore than 1,000 scientists

What does 'peer review' mean in the context of the IPCC's work?

Scientists publish their own research without checkingOnly one scientist reviews all the climate dataScientists from different countries check each other's workGovernment officials review scientific papers

What does 'scientific consensus' mean according to the passage?

Scientists simply agree without checking evidenceExperts have carefully reviewed evidence and found strong support for conclusionsOne scientist convinces all others to agreeScientists vote on what they think is true

Which Working Group studies ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Working Group IWorking Group IIWorking Group IIIAll three working groups study this equally

Why are IPCC reports considered the most reliable climate information?

They are written by one famous scientistThey include only the newest researchThousands of experts review the same evidence and reach agreementThey are shorter than other climate reports

How do policymakers use IPCC reports?

To conduct their own climate experimentsTo make decisions about energy, agriculture, and environmental protectionTo write scientific research papersTo train new climate scientists

How many scientific papers did scientists review for the Sixth Assessment Report?

About 1,000 papersAbout 5,000 papersOver 14,000 papersOver 50,000 papers

True or False: The IPCC conducts its own climate experiments in laboratories.

TrueFalse

True or False: The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its work communicating climate science.

TrueFalse