The Working Group II (WGII) assesses the impacts of climate change, from a world-wide to a regional view of ecosystems and biodiversity, and of humans and their diverse societies, cultures, and settlements. It considers their vulnerabilities and the capacities and limits of these natural and human systems to adapt to climate change and thereby reduce climate-associated risks together with options for creating a sustainable future for all through an equitable and integrated approach to mitigation and adaptation efforts at all scales.Since IPCC was created in 1988, WGII has produced 5 contributions to IPCC’s Assessment Reports and contributed to numerous Special Reports. IPCC is in its Sixth Assessment Cycle and in this cycle, WGII is currently contributing to three IPCC Special Reports: Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15), Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) and The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), which WGII is the lead on. The SROCC will be finalized in 2019 and the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report will be finalized in 2021.
Working Group II (WGII) is led by two Co-Chairs and eight Vice-Chairs which form the WGII Bureau. WGII is supported by a Technical Support Unit (TSU) located in Bremen, Germany. The WGII Co-Chairs are Hans-Otto Pörtner from Germany and Debra Roberts from South Africa.