HEC Paris Expert committed to Climate Science amidst IPCC timeline Uncertainty
As uncertainty surrounds the timetable and budget for the IPCC’s next assessment, Fernando J. Díaz López, Executive Director for Climate at HEC Paris’s Sustainability & Organizations (S&O) Center, has joined more than 220 fellow authors in reaffirming their commitment to delivering independent scientific knowledge to inform climate action.
“As an IPCC author, I am part of a group of experts truly committed to science and to its role to inform important decisions in our society,” says Fernando J. Díaz López.
A Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), Díaz López contributes to the Industry chapter of Working Group III, which assesses climate change mitigation. His work examines options to reduce industrial emissions, including through innovation, material efficiency and circularity.
Advancing the assessment in Thailand
At a recent meeting hosted by the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, Díaz López joined nearly 200 experts from 79 countries to advance the Working Group III contribution to AR7.
Held from 28 September to 2 October 2026, the meeting brought authors together to refine chapter drafts, strengthen connections across the report and prepare the First-Order Draft for expert review. This collective assessment aims to give policymakers a rigorous understanding of the options available to mitigate climate change.
For Díaz López, witnessing flooding during his stay brought the consequences of climate change into immediate focus, alongside the many extreme climate events that took place this year alone. It also reinforced the urgency of connecting scientific knowledge with action.
“Many decarbonization solutions already exist and need to be further scaled, while we accelerate the pace of adaptation and resilience,” he stresses.
A collective commitment amid uncertainty
The meeting was followed by uncertainty at the intergovernmental level. On 16 October, the IPCC’s 65th Plenary Session in Addis Ababa was suspended, leaving the timelines for the three Working Group contributions and the IPCC budget unresolved. The session is due to resume to address the outstanding decisions.
In response, Díaz López signed the open letter “We will keep working” alongside more than 220 fellow AR7 authors. The signatories reaffirm their determination to continue producing a rigorous, timely and inclusive assessment.
“This is a letter signed in a personal capacity and does not represent any institutional or political view,” he explains.
Behind this commitment lies a substantial voluntary effort. IPCC authors assess scientific evidence alongside their existing professional responsibilities.
“This work is unpaid and is carried out in addition to our research, teaching, mentoring, and other professional duties, often requiring significant sacrifices in our personal time and family life,” Díaz López notes.
Bringing scientific knowledge into decision-making
Díaz López’s contribution reflects HEC Paris’s engagement in research that informs the climate transition. Understanding how industries can reduce emissions—and the conditions that enable solutions to spread—is central to that effort.
As discussions over the assessment timetable continue, his commitment to advancing the scientific work remains firm.
“We have no time to lose.”
