Youba Sokona, former vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has worked for over three decades to ensure that global climate assessments reflect the experiences of scientists from the global South. In a recent interview during the TWAS General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he detailed the importance of inclusive participation in the assessments, which evaluate the current state of climate change and have a wide-reaching impact on policy.

“It is critical and fundamental for the South to be part of the IPCC,” Sokona said, adding that if insights from developing world scientists are overlooked, the risk that policymakers will miss important aspects of the diverse conditions on the ground rises.

Watch the full interview here

Sokona described the structural barriers that many scientists in developing countries face, including barriers to accessing scientific literature, funding, and opportunities to set independent research agendas. These constraints often prevent their full participation in international scientific projects. He recalled how, during his time as co-chair of IPCC Working Group III, critical issues like the polluting effects of biomass and charcoal use were underrepresented simply because they were not part of the lived experience of many contributing authors.

To address these oversights, Sokona advocates for greater investment in South-South collaboration and the production of peer-reviewed literature that reflects the realities of developing countries. He explained how TWAS needs to support initiatives that bring together scientists from across the global South, enabling them to share knowledge, build networks, and contribute meaningfully to global assessments, like those of the IPCC.

For many members of the TWAS network, the TWAS General Conference in Rio served as a refreshing moment of reconnection after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sokona noted the importance of building community among Fellows and young scientists, and of expanding TWAS’s inclusivity to better integrate disciplines like social sciences. As he put it, the more the international community invests in science and broadens participation, the greater humanity’s chances of building a sustainable future for all.

Giovanni Ortolani