Saudi Arabia and Russia lead a push to move the IPCC's seventh report from 2028 to 2029

The date matters because AR7 is tied to a single meeting. The report was scheduled for 2028, in time for deliberations at Cop33 late that year ^[2], and the global stocktake at that summit is meant to show whether governments need to ramp up their efforts ^[8]. A 2029 publication would arrive after the summit ^[15]. The Guardian's account does not say whether the stocktake would move with the report.

The stated reason for delay is access. According to the Guardian, the group argues a later date is needed so developing countries can have more input into the scientific findings ^[16]. The Guardian adds that climate science has been dominated for three decades by the EU, the UK and the US, and that US participation has been severely curtailed under Donald Trump ^[17].

The countries that would use the findings first answer in terms of cost. Jess Gasper, a minister for the Marshall Islands, said: "We cannot allow political interests to determine which science the world is willing to hear." ^[5] Jiwoh Emmanuel Abdulai, Sierra Leone's minister of environment, said: "The Paris agreement can only deliver on its promise if the best available science continues to guide climate change negotiations." ^[6]

The Guardian sets the request against some background of its own. Summaries for policymakers need approval from all governments that wish to play a role ^[11]. The paper also says it has previously uncovered evidence that representatives of oil interests under Saudi control were involved in IPCC assessments ^[12]. It does not say the request is a tactic.

For anyone building scenarios or disclosures on IPCC findings, the question is how old the evidence will be. The previous assessment was published in three parts in 2021 and 2022 ^[9]. From 2022, the scheduled 2028 date is six years out ^[13] and the proposed 2029 date is seven ^[14]. Over that interval, the Guardian says, greenhouse gases kept rising and impacts such as heatwaves, floods and droughts became more apparent ^[10]. It also says global temperatures have already passed 1.5C above pre-industrial levels ^[7].

The link between the IPCC calendar and corporate planning or disclosure rules is our own inference. We think a team that times a scenario refresh to AR7 should treat 2028 as unconfirmed until the Addis Ababa meeting reports. The Guardian's piece predates any decision, and we do not know yet how it will come out. A one-year slip is small against a decade of planning, but the 2021-22 assessment would remain the latest comprehensive reference for a year longer.