Ninety-seven scientists and urban practitioners from 5 continents have been selected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as Authors, Coordinating Lead Authors, and Review Editors for the upcoming Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SR-Cities), set for release in March 2027.

ICLEI, an accredited observer organisation to the IPCC, nominated experts from its global network, with three selected for key roles, including two from our European network.

Prof. Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira from Brazil, a faculty member at Fundação Getulio Vargas, was selected as Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 4, “How to facilitate and accelerate change.”

Prof. Dr. Felix Creutzig from Germany, who serves as Head of the Working Group Land Use, Infrastructure, and Transport at the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, was selected as Lead Author for Chapter 5, “Solutions by city types and regions.”

Risto Veivo from Finland, who is Director of Climate and Green Transition for the City of Turku, was also selected as Lead Author for Chapter 5.

These experts will volunteer their time and expertise to produce a report that addresses the dynamic challenges cities face due to climate change and explores solutions for sustainable urban development. This marks a crucial milestone in advancing urban climate science and policy relevance.

ICLEI Secretary General Gino Van Begin stated, “ICLEI has a rich history of engaging with the IPCC and supporting its cycles, particularly regarding cities and city-level climate action. We are committed to scaling up this engagement in AR7 and supporting the IPCC by ensuring the urban practitioner community is well-equipped to collaborate with the scientific community to prepare this report.”

The SR-Cities’s insights will inform global policies and actions related to climate challenges in cities, ultimately impacting all scales of action. In addition, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has invited the IPCC to contribute to the Global Stocktake 2.0 (GST 2.0), which is scheduled to be concluded in 2028. In light of this, it is expected that IPCC’s insights, particularly from the SR-Cities as the first product to be prepared under the seventh cycle, will play a crucial role in shaping policies and actions related to climate challenges in urban contexts.

Professor Dr. Felix Creutzig said: “The SR-Cities is extremely timely, highlighting the potential of municipalities to act on climate change. I am honored to participate as lead author and see a huge opportunity to advance data-based assessment of cities and their city-specific strategies in tackling climate change.”

Risto Veivo said: “Having worked extensively both on municipal climate policies and in international cooperation on sustainable development, I am very happy and enthusiastic to contribute to the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. I am grateful to ICLEI and Finland for the nominations and support and look forward to being able to bring into the report the experiences and proven good practices of cities around the world, based on the science and synthesis available. ICLEI’s global research network is an important resource in this regard.”

Access the full list of selected Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors and Review Editors for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities here.

This article was originally written by ICLEI World Secretariat and modified by ICLEI Europe.