Pachauri insists science behind global warming remains ‘totally valid’

NEW DELHI - UN Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) chief Dr Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has insisted that the science behind global warming remains valid, despite recent embarrassing mistakes which has threatened to damage the organization’s credibility.

“There is one mistake that occurred unfortunately and we have clearly accepted that, we have accepted regret that it took place, but there is a huge volume of science over there, the IPCC fourth volume assessment report is a massive piece of work and I think all of what we have said over there is totally valid,” The Telegraph quoted Pachauri, as saying.

“The fact is that we have clearly shown that the impacts of climate change, if you don’t take action are going to become progressively serious. And it is not merely a warming of the earth’s system it is also a disruption in terms of extreme events and there are some leaders in the world who have actually realised that. They are actually saying that the best way to way to get out of the current economic recession is to invest in green jobs,” he added.

Dr Pachauri is under immense pressure from Greenpeace, the world environment body to step down from his current position.

Greenpeace Director John Suaven has said that Pachauri should step down from his post as IPCC Chairman so that the body can regain its lost credibility in the wake of the ‘Climategate’, ‘Glaciergate’ and ‘Amazongate’ scandals.

Pachauri has made a flawed judgement by not registering the mistake on glacial melt made by the IPCC, which came to light ahead of the Copenhagen conference, Sauven added.

Meanwhile, a fresh call for Pachauri to resign came from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer, who blamed him for the error in the IPCC report on Himalayan glaciers, and termed it as ’senseless’. (ANI)