About the Council

The Icelandic Climate Council is an independent body of experts whose role is to provide advice to the government on policy objectives and specific measures related to climate change.  

The Climate Council derives its mandate from the Climate Act (No. 70/2012) after it was amended in 2019. It had previously operated for one year based on a parliamentary resolution. The council’s main role is to provide the government with advice on Iceland’s strategic decisions and goals related to climate issues and ensure accountability towards climate goals. According to the law, representatives of the business community, the universities, municipalities and environmental NGO´s nominate representatives to the council. Representatives are appointed by the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate. The law stipulates that the Climate Council must maintain impartiality and be independent in its work.

In the spring of 2024, regulation no. 334/2024 on the Climate Council was issued. The regulation specifies criteria the Minister must consider when appointing representatives and that the Council operates a forum to ensure regular dialogue with stakeholders. Climate Council representatives are only bound by their own judgment, and this is confirmed in the regulation.

According to the regulation, representatives of the Climate Council must have expertise and experience in at least one of the following categories of issues and fully formed, it´s members must collectively have experience in all the above-mentioned areas:

• Climate law, governance and policy.
• Climate science, risk analysis and natural hazards.
• Planning and land use.
• Economic and social analyses.
• Social change and just transition.
• Biodiversity, land carbon cycle and ecosystem services.
• Innovation and technological development.
• Energy issues in the context of energy exchange and carbon neutrality.

The council was reappointed in 2024 on the basis of the new regulation and is composed of nine representatives. The term of office is four years.