From 2004 until her retirement in 2015 Renate Christ held the function of the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Geneva/Switzerland and was in charge of the overall management and coordination of the various activities of the IPCC and provided advice on preparation of IPCC reports. Her aim was to ensure that all relevant scientific dimensions are addressed, that views and knowledge from all regions of the world are adequately reflected and that IPCC Reports responded to the information needs of policy makers.
Before her appointment as Secretary of the IPCC she held the position of the Deputy Secretary where her focus was on strengthening communications and outreach activities, budget and finance.
From 1996-1998 she served as National Expert in the European Commission, Brussels/Belgium and participated actively in the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol. Specific portfolios included emissions trading, Clean Development Mechanism, adaptation to climate change and matters related to developing countries.
From 1992-1996 she was posted in Nairobi/Kenya where she worked at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the climate and atmosphere unit and served as climate change focal point for the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
In Austria she worked for several years as desk officer, researcher and lecturer at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Environment, the Medical University Vienna/Institute for Environmental Health, Sandoz Research Institute and Salzburg University.
She holds degrees of Dr.phil. (PhD) and Mag.rer.nat. (Master of science) in Biology and Earth Sciences from the University Salzburg.