Professor Llewelyn Hughes appointed as a Lead Author for IPCC Seventh Assessment Report
The Crawford School of Public Policy is proud to announce that Professor Llewelyn Hughes has been selected as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), representing a significant recognition of his expertise in climate policy and the low carbon energy transition.
Llewelyn Hughes is Professor of Public Policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy and Interim Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy, and Disaster Solutions (ICEDS) at The Australian National University, and sits on the ANU Academic Board.
Professor Hughes will contribute to Working Group III: Mitigation of Climate Change, as Lead Author of Chapter 1: Introduction and Framing. Working Group III focuses on assessing methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere—critical areas of research as the world grapples with urgent climate action.
"It's difficult to think of a bigger honour—and responsibility—than contributing to the IPCC 7th Assessment Report," says Professor Hughes on his appointment.
"It's difficult to think of a bigger honour—and responsibility—than contributing to the IPCC 7th Assessment Report,"
"So I'm looking forward to putting my shoulder to the wheel as a Lead Author."
The IPCC recently concluded its selection process for AR7, appointing 664 experts from 111 countries as Coordinating Lead Authors, Lead Authors, and Review Editors. These experts were chosen from an impressive pool of 3,771 nominees submitted by governments and IPCC observer organisations worldwide.
"The selected author teams, drawn from the hundreds of excellent nominations, ensure outstanding expertise across a range of disciplines," said IPCC Chair Jim Skea in IPCC’s announcement of the selection of authors for AR7.
The IPCC, established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation, serves as the UN body for assessing climate science. Its comprehensive assessment reports, published every five to seven years, provide governments at all levels with scientific information essential for developing evidence-based climate policies.
The IPCC Assessment Reports synthesise humanity's collective scientific, technical, and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, providing crucial evidence that informs global climate policy and international negotiations.
Work on AR7 officially begins with the First Lead Author meeting scheduled for early December. The three Working Group reports are expected to be released starting in mid-2028, with the comprehensive Synthesis Report completing the seventh assessment cycle by late 2029.
Professor Hughes's contribution to this critical global endeavour reflects both his individual expertise and the Crawford School of Public Policy’s broader commitment to addressing the world's most pressing policy challenges through rigorous research and international collaboration.
View Professor Llewelyn Hughes's academic profile.