Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Discussion Meeting By Professor Peter Cox, Professor Brian Hoskins CBE FRS, Professor John Mitchell OBE FRS, Dr Tim Palmer FRS and Professor John Pyle FRS. Climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time. In 2001 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted that human activities are causing concentrations of greenhouse gases to rise at a rate that is unprecedented in the last 20,000 years and carbon dioxide levels are now higher than they have been for 650,000 years. Since 2001 our understanding of the world's climate system and the role of human activity has increased. This meeting will showcase "The science of climate change" working group 1 report. The event will highlight the main findings of the report, particularly those areas likely to be of specific interest to the scientific and policy community. The emphasis will be on the advances in our understanding of the science and causes of climate change, since the Third Assessment Report in 2001, and identifying new research priorities and knowledge gaps. Thursday 1 March Session 1 Welcome by Professor Martin Rees PRS. Introduction and Background. Chair Dr Tim Palmer. Speakers; Ian Pearson MP, Dr susan Solomon, Dr HERve le Treut Session 2 Drivers of Change and observations of change in ocean, atmosphere and cryosphere. Chair; Professor Geraint Vaughan. Speakers Dr Piers Foster, Professor Phil Jones, Professor Peter Lemke, Professor Nathan Bindoff, Dr Ralph Cicerone Friday 2 March 2007 Session 3 What do we know about the past climate? Paleoclimate and biogeochemical feedbacks. Chair; Professor John Pyle FRS. Speakers Professor Jonathan Overpeck, Dr Guy Brasseur Session 4 Attributing past change and predicting future change. Chair; Professor John Mitchell FRS. Speakers Dr Richard Wood, Dr Francis Zwiers, Professor Thomas Stocker, Professor Brian Hewitson Session 5 Panel discussion. Chair; Professor Brian Hoskins. Speakers; Dr Ann Henderson-Sellers, Dr Frank Raes, Dr Carlos Nobre, Mr Halldor Thorgeirsson, Sir David King FRS. 1-2 March 2007