Debra Roberts

Debra Roberts is a South African scientist and one of the six co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She was elected co-chair of Working Group II for the sixth assessment in 2015.

Quotes

• I believe we are at a key moment in the history of our species when we are grappling with the consequences of an unjust and inequitable development path that has left many vulnerable human and natural communities at risk.
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• I am therefore extremely proud to be able to work with the other members of the board to ensure that the Climate Centre continues to drive its mission forward in an energized and sustained way.
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• I accepted the nomination because I believe the seventh assessment cycle of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a critical one and that my more than 30 years of experience at the science-policy-practice interface put me in a good position to positively contribute to the leadership of the organisation, helping it to innovate and respond effectively to the challenges and opportunities of the cycle.
• We are already a third of the way through the United Nations’ ‘decade of action,’ focused on accelerating sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges.
• Policymakers are having to make increasingly difficult decisions about the many challenges we face. So it is important that the IPCC Chair has the right experience for the key task we must confront in this decade. That task is implementation. This is why I am moving forward with my candidacy for Chair of the AR7 cycle:
• I am a scientist with a strong academic profile, working at the science-policy-practice interface. With three decades of leading on-the-ground policy and practice, I bring a practical approach to the science: always asking what can be most useful to the decision makers who must make evidence-led judgments on which strategies to implement.
• I have extensive experience across diverse fields including biodiversity, climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation, sustainability and resilience, and can use those skills to help maintain the scientific caliber of the IPCC.
• I want to build on the progress we have already made by strengthening the foundations of the IPCC so we can continue to deliver in accordance with our growing scientific mandate.
  • Debra Roberts on the IPCC ELECTIONS