IPCC Chairman R. K. Pachauri’s credibility is under attack for glaring mistakes in the fourth assessment report of IPCC and for charges of financial irregularities in TERI. Vikas Kumar caught up with the man in the muddle.
Don’t you feel that the recent revelations have severely eroded your credibility and you should resign from the post?
First of all, I would like to make it aptly clear that I have no intention of resigning from my post. I was selected by the United Nations and I have a task of carrying out the fifth assessment report of IPCC. I have to complete it and we are trying to come up with a more robust report this time. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes in the fourth assessment report on Himalayan glaciers but that, in no way, can demean or discredit the value of the report. As far as credibility of the report is concerned, I am sure that ‘rational people’ all over the world will not be distracted by this one error as they see the larger picture.
Global Warming is a phenomenon not only confined to Himalayan glaciers. It affects the entire world. I do not think this one mistake will make people look away from the actual reality.
What about the allegations of financial irregularities in TERI?
I am again and again saying these allegations are false and TERI has not benefited at all in any way.
This is a big mistake. How can you escape responsibility after making such a Himalayan blunder?
First of all, you have not worked your fundamentals right. TERI was not at all involved in IPCC assessment report.
But was not Syed Husnain a senior fellow at TERI?
You should check your facts. At the time his report on Himalayan glaciers came out, he was working with Jawaharlal Nehru University and not with the The Energy Research Institute. He was working with us for the last two years only. Whatever statement he made about the glaciers was made much earlier than his association with TERI.
There are other mistakes too in the section….?
(Cuts in)…Yes, there is a whole paragraph and we have put it on the IPCC website. We are trying to adopt more robust practices while carrying out fifth assessment report. However, there is no question of taking action against any of the authors as they are not employees of the IPCC.
It is amply clear from the mistakes in the fourth assessment report that processes are not perfect. Now, the work for the preparation of fifth assessment report is going on. How will you ensure such mistakes are not repeated this time?
You cannot generalise on the basis of one mistake. Our procedures are very robust and all we need to do is to adhere to implement these procedures. We have clear-cut guidelines. That’s how we include information from other publications. Unfortunately, this is a failure on the part of IPCC in the fourth assessment report and all we can do is to reassure people that such mistakes will not be repeated in future.
Don’t you feel that the recent revelations have severely eroded your credibility and you should resign from the post?
First of all, I would like to make it aptly clear that I have no intention of resigning from my post. I was selected by the United Nations and I have a task of carrying out the fifth assessment report of IPCC. I have to complete it and we are trying to come up with a more robust report this time. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes in the fourth assessment report on Himalayan glaciers but that, in no way, can demean or discredit the value of the report. As far as credibility of the report is concerned, I am sure that ‘rational people’ all over the world will not be distracted by this one error as they see the larger picture.
Global Warming is a phenomenon not only confined to Himalayan glaciers. It affects the entire world. I do not think this one mistake will make people look away from the actual reality.
What about the allegations of financial irregularities in TERI?
I am again and again saying these allegations are false and TERI has not benefited at all in any way.
This is a big mistake. How can you escape responsibility after making such a Himalayan blunder?
First of all, you have not worked your fundamentals right. TERI was not at all involved in IPCC assessment report.
But was not Syed Husnain a senior fellow at TERI?
You should check your facts. At the time his report on Himalayan glaciers came out, he was working with Jawaharlal Nehru University and not with the The Energy Research Institute. He was working with us for the last two years only. Whatever statement he made about the glaciers was made much earlier than his association with TERI.
There are other mistakes too in the section….?
(Cuts in)…Yes, there is a whole paragraph and we have put it on the IPCC website. We are trying to adopt more robust practices while carrying out fifth assessment report. However, there is no question of taking action against any of the authors as they are not employees of the IPCC.
It is amply clear from the mistakes in the fourth assessment report that processes are not perfect. Now, the work for the preparation of fifth assessment report is going on. How will you ensure such mistakes are not repeated this time?
You cannot generalise on the basis of one mistake. Our procedures are very robust and all we need to do is to adhere to implement these procedures. We have clear-cut guidelines. That’s how we include information from other publications. Unfortunately, this is a failure on the part of IPCC in the fourth assessment report and all we can do is to reassure people that such mistakes will not be repeated in future.
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