Final answer:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assesses and reports on climate change science and its effects on biomes and economies globally. They synthesize peer-reviewed research to inform international climate policies like the Kyoto Protocol but do not perform the research themselves. The correct answer is E) is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an international entity that assesses the science related to climate change. The panel was established by both the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988, and it focuses on evaluating scientific evidence, assessing current and future risks, and providing policymakers with comprehensive assessments approximately every six years. This includes information on how climate change affects biomes and economies.
The IPCC does not perform the research but reviews thousands of peer-reviewed studies and synthesizes this information to present a clear, scientific consensus on climate change and its anthropogenic causes. The accurate response to the student's question is E) is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies.
The IPCC's work is crucial for the implementation of international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, although the success and enforcement of such agreements have been mixed, with some nations like the United States and China not ratifying them. Climate change's expected significant impact on biodiversity and human societies makes the IPCC's assessment reports critical for global understanding and response to the trends in greenhouse gas emissions and their implications.