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IPCC response over Himalayan glacier in a week : Pachauri

Last Updated 20 January 2010, 04:36 IST
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R K Pachauri, head of UN's panel of climate scientists on Tuesday defended his Nobel winning team over forecasting an early disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers, saying he will soon come with a response report on the issue.

The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is preparing a response to the glacier retreat report and will announce the same in a week's time, Pachauri said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) here, Pachauri said he would like an end to the controversy but does not want to rake up the issue before a formal response is prepared.

Pachauri was keynote speaker at the Summit. A section of a 2007 report by IPCC said the probability of glaciers in the Himalayas "disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high." Pachauri said that even if the remarks on Himalayan glaciers is incorrect, it does not undermine evidence supporting the existence of climate change

"Theoretically, let's say we slipped upon one number, I don't think it takes anything away from the overwhelming scientific evidence of what's happening with the climate of this earth," he said. "We continue to disagree with the 2035 date and that will be part of the response we are working on," he said. On the subject of the cold spell across Europe Pachauri said climate should be seen separate from weather.

He also praised renewable energy initiatives being undertaken by the UAE and organisations such as The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). "A lot of good initiatives are being taken up here and I am confident they will yield results," he said. Meanwhile, UAE’s Minister of Energy Mohammed bin Dhaen Al Hamili on Monday met heads of a number of delegations participating in the WFES currently underway in Abu Dhabi.

He reviewed with them the developments in the global oil markets as well as cooperation between UAE and their respective countries in the field of renewable energy. Sweden’s Minister of Enterprise, Energy and Communication, Japan’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Brazil’s Vice-Minister for Energy, Science and Technology and Cooperation were some of them.

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(Published 20 January 2010, 04:36 IST)

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