On Monday 5 July, Minister Huizinga of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) will be presented with the analysis report "Assessing an IPCC assessment", by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). In its report, the PBL presents results from an investigation into possible errors in one of the scientific reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of 2007: the IPCC Working Group II contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, dealing with the impacts of climate change. The PBL has conducted this investigation at the request of the then Minister for the Environment, Ms Jacqueline Cramer.

In January 2010, the media reported on two errors found in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report of 2007.  The PBL has analysed the chapters that deal with the various world regions, and assessed the effects of any errors on the IPCC summary conclusions regarding the impacts of climate change.

The presentation will take place at the press centre Perscentrum Nieuwspoort (room Wandelganger II), Lange Poten 10, in The Hague. There will be two successive press conferences; the first one including the presentation to Minister Huizinga, in Dutch, starting at 14:00 hours, followed by a meeting with the international press, at 16:00 hours, where PBL director Maarten Hajer will present the main findings in English.

All members of the press are invited to attend one or both of the events.

Programme

13:15 hours

Doors open and first view of the press release and the report embargoed until Monday 5 July, 14:00 hours

14:00 hours

Welcome and presentation of key findings, in Dutch, by Professor Maarten Hajer, Director of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL)

14:15 hours

Official presentation of the report to Minister Huizinga

14:20 hours

Reaction by Minister Huizinga

14:30 hours (approx.)

Q&A session

15:00 hours (approx.)

End of the press conference in Dutch

15:00 to 16:00 hours

Additional time for interviewing Maarten Hajer and/or Leo Meyer (project leader)

16:00 hours

Presentation for the international press by PBL director Maarten Hajer

16:20 hours

Q&A session

17:00 hours (approx.)

End of the press conference

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The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) is the national institute for strategic policy analysis in the field of environment, nature and spatial planning. We contribute to improving the quality of political and administrative decision-making by conducting outlook studies, analyses and evaluations in which an integrated approach is considered paramount. Policy relevance is the prime concern in all our studies. We conduct solicited and unsolicited research that is always both independent and scientifically sound.

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For more information, please contact:

Bas van Esch, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL)

E: bas.vanesch@pbl.nl

T: +31 (0)30 274 3114