Networks of scientists on Monday decried what they said was an effort by the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to downplay scientific consensus on global warming, warning that stronger policy measures are needed to reduce climate risks.

The scientists, releasing a statement at the UN climate conference in Katowice, Poland, said they are concerned at some governments’ efforts to downplay the findings of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the impacts of 1.5 degree Celsius rise in global temperature.

The US with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Saturday blocked the endorsement of the landmark IPCC’s 2018 report cautions that the rise in the average global temperature between 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius is a result of global warming. The four countries said they would “note” the IPCC report and not “welcome” it.

Sections of scientists view the stand as an attempt to obstruct negotiations, asserting that the IPCC report represents the scientific consensus based on the work of hundreds of the world’s top researchers.

“This is willfully ignorant and grossly negligent. For the sake of current and future societies, we must embrace science, not deny it,” Johan Rockstrom, director designate of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany said in a statement.

Two networks of scientists called Future Earth and Earth League on Monday circulated among negotiators their statement that warns about how global warming will exacerbate extreme weather events and sea level rise and impact economies worldwide.

Negotiators from over 190 countries are hoping to use the conference to work out guidelines and a rulebook to implement the 2015 Paris climate pact that calls for climate actions from all countries to prevent the average global temperature from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius.

“To avoid catastrophe, we must ratchet up the pace and move beyond energy. The research shows clearly that we must cut emissions by half across all economic sectors in the next decade to have a chance of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change,” Amy Luers, Future Earth executive director said.