Quakers urge courage as global climate meeting suspended

Quakers at the United Nations have called on nations to demonstrate courage and seek compromise following the suspension of a significant climate science meeting. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, earlier this month but adjourned without reaching an agreement on the IPCC’s 2026 budget or projected budgets for 2027-2028.

Lindsey Fielder Cook, representing the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva, participated in four key interventions during the week-long meeting, including during the closing session. She emphasized the urgency of the climate crisis, stating, “Eight billion people need access to this assessed science. This is not a game. This is real life and people are already dying.” Cook urged delegates to “find the middle ground,” noting that “there is still time.”

Established in 1988, the IPCC serves as a global authority for collating and assessing climate science for governments. Its reports are increasingly referenced in legal actions challenging insufficient climate action. As the impacts of climate change intensify and the reports gain greater influence, IPCC meetings have become more politically charged.

A small number of countries have raised questions about the IPCC’s role and authority, according to QUNO. This marks the fifth consecutive meeting focused on the delivery date for the seventh set of reports. During an intervention on the IPCC budget, Fielder Cook highlighted the disparity between the organization’s costs and global military expenditures.

She noted that with overall UN funding decreasing and annual military spending reaching 2.9 trillion US dollars, the IPCC’s budget appears modest in comparison. For example, she pointed out that the cost of one B1 bomber is 2.1 billion US dollars, and the cost of one B1 bomb is 12 million, exceeding the IPCC’s budget for the upcoming year. Cook called on delegates to “bring home determination to prioritise funding for life-giving efforts as with the IPCC.”

QUNO has been an accredited IPCC observer under the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) since 2017. To its knowledge, it is the only active independent faith-based organization making formal interventions at the IPCC.

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