Interested experts, practitioners and policymakers can register to participate in the review until 26 June, offering a unique opportunity to engage with this first-of-its-kind assessment that explores the role of urban areas in climate action.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is inviting experts worldwide to serve as Expert Reviewers of the Second-Order Draft of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. Registration is open until 26 June 2026, with the review period running from 8 May to 3 July 2026. 

This is a key opportunity for experts to engage directly with the report and contribute insights ahead of its release in March 2027. This review process plays a critical role in ensuring scientific rigor, diverse perspectives, and real-world relevance to the urgent challenges urban areas and communities face in a rapidly changing climate.

ICLEI encourages urban experts, practitioners, and policymakers to take part voluntarily in this review process and help identify critical gaps, ensuring that the report reflects the realities, challenges, and solutions emerging from cities worldwide. The call is supported by Pourya Salehi, ICLEI Head of Urban Research, Innovation, and Development and Contributing Author for the IPCC Special Report; Maryke van Staden, Director of ICLEI’s carbonn Climate Center; and Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice Chair of the IPCC and Chair of the Urban Research and Innovation Portfolio for the ICLEI Global Executive Committee.

Momentum is already strong. During the First-Order Draft review (October-December 2025), more than 1,300 experts submitted over 32,000 comments, demonstrating the high-level of global interest in shaping this landmark report.

These inputs were addressed at the Third Lead Author Meeting, where Authors and Review Editors met in Oslo, Norway, in January 2026 to integrate feedback and advance the current draft.

Experts can register to review specific chapters, summaries, or the full report through the official platform here.

Why the Special Report matters

The Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is the first IPCC report to include urban practitioners alongside researchers as primary authors. It is also the first publication of the IPCC’s seventh assessment cycle, and its only Special Report in this cycle.

Co-authored by over 100 experts across 56 countries, the report assesses the latest science on climate impacts, risks, and solutions in cities, highlighting both vulnerabilities and the pivotal role urban areas play in driving mitigation and adaptation.

As an accredited observer organization to the IPCC, ICLEI has supported this process from the outset. Currently, three experts from the global network and two ICLEI staff members —Pourya Salehi from the ICLEI World Secretariat and Haley Leck from ICLEI Africa— hold key roles in the Special Report as Lead, Coordinating Lead and Contributing Authors.