The facts
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suspended its Addis Ababa meeting on 18 October 2026 without setting a timetable for the release of its seventh assessment report (AR7), which was slated for 2028. Governments led by Saudi Arabia, Russia and India, and joined by China and Kenya, objected to the 2028 publication date, arguing that the science is dominated by developed nations and therefore skewed. Scientists warned that a delay could prevent AR7 from informing the emissions‑cut pledges that will be discussed at the COP33 summit in late 2028, the second global stocktake under the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Guardian notes that most of the research for AR7 has already been published and is under review. The IPCC says it strives for global participation and equity. A coalition of 117 scientists, many from developing countries, pledged to keep working, and IPCC chair Jim Skea said the panel will reconvene as soon as possible.
Our take
Well, fuck me sideways. The world’s top climate‑science body just got tripped up by a gaggle of oil‑rich governments demanding a rewrite of the rulebook on fairness. Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, China and Kenya have all slammed the door on a 2028 release of AR7, claiming the report is too ‘Western‑centric’. Their solution? Stall the whole thing until they can squeeze more developing‑world voices into a process that, according to the IPCC, already includes a broad evidence base. It’s like asking a fire department to wait for a committee meeting before dousing a blaze – except the blaze is the planet heating up faster than a sauna on a summer day. The scientists, a solid 117‑strong coalition, are ready to keep polishing the data, but the governments seem more interested in buying extra time to keep their oil rigs humming. The irony is thick enough to choke on: the very nations that profit from fossil fuels are now the ones pulling the brakes on the science that could force them to cut back. The IPCC chair, Jim Skea, promises to reconvene, but that promise feels about as useful as a lifeboat with a hole in it. Meanwhile, the second global stocktake in 2028 looms like a deadline on a ticking bomb, and these delay‑tactics are the equivalent of cutting the fuse. If the goal is equity, then maybe the equity should be about who gets to breathe clean air, not who gets to postpone the inevitable. In short, the climate summit is turning into a circus of self‑appointed gatekeepers, and the planet is the unfortunate audience forced to watch the show while the lights go out. Fuck this whole charade – the Earth can’t wait for a diplomatic coffee break.
