BASIC ministers task IPCC with need for rigour in climate reports
BS Reporter / New Delhi Jan 25, 2010, 01:25 IST
Amid controversy surrounding the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on melting glaciers, Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, today urged the UN panel to make the fifth assessment report comprehensive by also citing contrarian views.
He said there is a view that climate change is caused by the cyclical element of nature itself. “Climate change concerns survival and development of people. We need to adopt an open attitude to scientific research and incorporate all views,” said Xie, while addressing a conference of BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) countries here today. The fourth assessment report of IPCC, chaired by R K Pachauri, had stated -- erroneously, it now admits -- that the Himalayan glaciers would disappear altogether by 2035, if not sooner.
Stressing the fact that more scientific and consistent views are required, Xie said: “Scientists are waiting for the fifth assessment report and amongst us (BASIC countries), we will enhance cooperation in the report to make it more comprehensive. This will need prompt and scientific action.”
“We need an intensified programme in glaciology by cooperating with China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan, besides building our own glacial (study) capacity,” corroborated India’s environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, who added that the IPCC didn’t carry out due diligence on the fourth assessment report. “The health of the Himalayan glaciers is precarious and we need to make major investments in the next five to 10 years on what is happening there and policy interventions. We need intensified measuring, modelling and monitoring of the glaciers,” said Ramesh.
Though the four ministers agreed more science and research is required, Brazilian environment minister Carlos Minc noted all science should not be rejected if one scientist makes a mistake. “It is important to deepen scientific studies and use it to reduce emissions,” he said.
On the fact that the very existence of climate change is questioned, Buyelwa Sonjica, South Africa’s minister of water & environmental affairs said: “All that we do depends on sciences and their validity. BASIC, as a part of the G 77, must clear all doubts on the impact of climate change and find mechanisms with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and IPCC to clear doubts about the existence of climate change.”
IPCC, in an earlier statement, said the broader assessment remained correct, that warming of the earth would lead to widespread losses of glaciers. The concluding document of its fourth assessment report stated: “Climate change is expected to exacerbate current stresses on water resources from population growth and economic and land-use change, including urbanisation.”
The executive summary of the WG I Summary for Policymakers report says they are certain that emissions resulting from human activities are substantially increasing the atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gases, resulting on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface. They calculate with confidence that CO2 has been responsible for over half the enhanced greenhouse effect. They predict that under a "business as usual" (BAU) scenario, global mean temperature will increase by about 0.3 oC per decade during the [21st] century. They judge that global mean surface air temperature has increased by 0.3 to 0.6 oC over the last 100 years, broadly consistent with prediction of climate models, but also of the same magnitude as natural climate variability. The unequivocal detection of the enhanced greenhouse effect is not likely for a decade or more. Essay Writing Help
We need to understand first of all that climate change is not just caused by nature itself but our actions are also contributing towards the same and the latter has to be barricaded as soon as possible help for single mothers
We need to do a lot more to cut our carbon emissions. Climate change will hit South East Asia the hardest, therefore the emerging Indian superpower needs to use its clout more at the negotiation table.
Steve @ Loft Conversions London
We should start to take good care of our Mother Earth before everything goes wrong. Climate change is real and if its true that the glaciers won't be around at 2035 then we should begin doing something. hotels in bangkok
Fantastic and I'm pretty very much pleased to get all that at a time as the web log has just outmatched my anticipations and prospects on all the imaginable life asoects. los angeles graphic design
It really depends on your point of view. Reports like this largely depends on which party made the commission, it's hardly a surprise when the views are contradiction. party planning checklist
Himalayan glaciers will disappear in 2035? that's sooner than i expected. climate change is a serious problem that everyone must be get aware of. i've read that it even become political issues in some other countries.dr. lisa alloju
Cause cyclical element of nature itself? that's rude! why don't we admit to our own mistakes? Lets start to think and change ourselves to avoid worst climate change.
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It would be a disaster if we were to lose the worlds glaciers and I agree we need certain polluting countries (China and US, mainly) to start to step up and set an example. Why are smaller countries going to participate in lowering their emmissions if theirs is just a drop in the ocean compared to the major polluters. Personally, more emphasis on carbon credits should be made and China is the biggest producer of these credits (although it does not nearly cancel out what it produces).
Taxes that are environmental (such as fuel duty) should go to environmental causes and not just plugging the gap in government spending. All countries should invest in carbon credit schemes.
Great info. Thanks. Pete from environmental Loft Conversions London
The idea that the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035 is absolutely frightening. We need this problem to be viewed as a priority and for major investment to be ploughed into slowing down the decline of our natural environment. Great article - thanks.
James
from the Natural Thyroid Treatment Blog
oh, why somebody done like need to subscribe a premium service just to read the full story..? anyway i need this information a lot just to complete my essay.
It may interest people that the UN has still not responded to, or even acknowledged, the International Climate Science Coalitions' Copenhagen Climate Challenge. In it, we ask for the underlying data, the observational evidence, for their claims of catastrophic human-caused climate change. The recent 'gates' (Climategate, Glaciergate, Pachurigate, Amazongate and now Weathergate) seem to tell us why they do not want to share much of the underlying data.
Here is our open letter, endorsed now by 160 leading climate experts:
http://www.copenhagenclimatechallenge.org
Tom Harris
Executive Director
International Climate Science Coalition (ICSC)
P.O. Box 23013 Ottawa, Ontario K2A 4E2 Canada
http://www.climatescienceinternational.org
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