BANGKOK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Over 400 top experts of the world and delegates from over 130 governments gathered Monday in Bangkok for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting which aims to finalize the third volume of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) "Climate Change 2007: Mitigation," which is to be launched here on Friday, May 4th.

    The draft of the upcoming report, contributed by the Working Group III (WGIII) of the IPCC, based on IPCC's research in the last six years on latest development in the mitigation of climate change in various countries, analyzes mitigation options, including policy tools like carbon tax and alternative energy like nuclear power, for limiting greenhouse gas emissions so as to undermine impacts of climate change.

    Zhou Dadi, a Chinese energy expert and coordinate lead author of the third volume, said that the latest analysis, compared with the Third Fourth Assessment Report released in 2001, has more focus on practice conducted by various countries, as well as their social and economic impacts, benefits and costs, on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and thus provides a clearer picture of mitigation options for policy makers.

    The launch of the finalized report, after being discussed and approved by delegates of governments line by line at the 26th session Plenary of IPCC on Friday, follows the release of the first and second volume, respectively focusing on "Physical Science Basis," and "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability," in February and April this year.

    The First Assessment Report of IPCC in 1990 has led to the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, while the Second Assessment Report, Climate Change 1995, has played an important role towards the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC in 1997.

    The latest AR4 is expected to provide key information to the upcoming negotiation on Kyoto Protocol negotiations scheduled in December in Bali, Indonesia.