was established to provide decision makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change. The IPCC conducts no research, nor does it monitor climate-related data or parameters. Its role is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open, and transparent basis the latest scientific, technical, and socioeconomic literature produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change, its observed and projected impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.