See UPDATE below the read more line.
Looks like Pachy is having a crisis of confidence in his home country. Is anyone surprised?
Excerpts from the Telegraph:
India has threatened to pull out of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and set up its on climate change body because it “cannot rely” on the group headed by its own Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr R K Pachauri.
The Indian government’s move is a snub to both the IPCC and Dr Pachauri as he battles to defend his reputation following the revelation that his most recent climate change report included false claims that most of the Himalayan glaciers would melt away by 2035. Scientists believe it could take more than 300 years for the glaciers to disappear.
The body and its chairman have faced growing criticism ever since as questions have been raised on the credibility of their work and the rigour with which climate change claims are assessed.
More at the Telegraph
UPDATE:
Concern was raised about the original title, which was verbatim from the Telegraph’s headline.
Telegraph: India to ‘pull out of IPCC’
Some said that the Telegraph got the story wrong. I wrote in reply:
<blockquote>Well if the Telegraph will change their title, I’ll gladly follow.</blockquote>
This seems to have happened. Now if you go to:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7157590/India-to-pull-out-of-IPCC.html
It redirects to
Now it is a different headline, and there is nothing about “pulling out”. So it seems this was a mistake on The Telegraph’s part. Thanks to Zeke and others who commented on it. Had it been my headline, I’d have changed it immediately once such issues were raised with support to back it up. But It was the Telegraph’s headline, and it was my expectation they would either follow up with more support for why they said this, or change it if it was wrong. It took them longer than expected, but they’ve now changed it without conceding an error.
Since this thread also went way off topic into discussion on aids, I’ve closed comments – Anthony
The Indian government’s move is a snub to both the IPCC and Dr Pachauri as he battles to defend his reputation following the revelation that his most recent climate change report included false claims that most of the Himalayan glaciers would melt away by 2035. Scientists believe it could take more than 300 years for the glaciers to disappear.
The body and its chairman have faced growing criticism ever since as questions have been raised on the credibility of their work and the rigour with which climate change claims are assessed.
This article appeared in the UKs Spectator today. Very good piece about the “power of the blogosphere”. Many contributors get a mention:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/spectator/thisweek/5749853/the-global-warming-guerrillas.thtml
He is at least as worthy of the Nobel Peace prize as was Yasser Arafat. Arafat’s invention of the suicide bomber and plane hijacker have become an integral part of modern life.
Railroad engineer; chief climate expert; nobel prize winner; novelist …
Can’t understand Bukaroo Pachy’s PR problem. Guess you can’t be an expert in everything.
I think Pachy really burnt his bridges by insulting the Environment Minister – you don’t do that kind of thing in public in India – and this is their (the Indian Government’s) way of showing its displeasure. I doubt India will actually withdraw because they want their share of any money transfers from developed nations.
However, the mere fact that the Minister released the glacier report which didn’t support the IPCC in the first place shows that there is already a lot of skepticism to the IPCC. Furthermore, while TERI is a relatively large organization, it is not that big in Indian terms and there are a lot of other institutions which are jealous of it and quite happy to see it taken down a peg or two.
A day doesn’t go by without another crack appearing in the notion of AGW respectability and consensus. The last few months have been amazing.
Steve Goddard (10:36:17) :
“He is at least as worthy of the Nobel Peace prize as was Yasser Arafat. Arafat’s invention of the suicide bomber and plane hijacker have become an integral part of modern life”
Do not put it on your resume. It is a cabel of scoundrels and hurts the reputation.
slight off topic – BBC Viewpoint – but see the allowed skeptical comments …
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8490935.stm
Well now Pachi. I warned you not to go shooting your mouth off accusing the Indian Minister of voodoo science. But did you listen?
Are you listening now?
John Egan (09:54:31) :
“Excuse me??
If one reads the article – – the Indian government did not even “threaten” to withdraw. They simply expressed their extreme displeasure and stated that India would operate an autonomous agency – INCCA.
I believe that India’s actions are reasonable and prudent – – but it is always better to be accurate in reporting information than to use hyperbole – – that’s what got Dr. Jones into trouble – – remember?”
________________________________________________________________
For all intent and purpose, though politely couched in diplomatic language, India has just told the IPCC to piss off.
I agree that accuracy is of paramount importance, but the thread’s banner was taken directly from the UK Telegraph article:
India to ‘pull out of IPCC’
India has threatened to pull out of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and set up its on climate change body because it “cannot rely” on the group headed by its own Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr R K Pachauri.
By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 3:47PM GMT 04 Feb 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7157590/India-to-pull-out-of-IPCC.html
_______________________________________________________________
Pachygate is too much fun!!!!
Mods, Minor Typo:
“India has threatened to pull out of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and set up its on climate change …”
chg: on –> to: own
.
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REPLY: that’s from the Telegraph verbatim
Wow … you guys are quick!
.
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Obviously someone in the Indian Govn’t must be paying attention.If
Pachy goes, is Hansen next?(I hope…)
Steve Goddard (10:09:40) :
“People should know when they’re conquered.”
– Quintus from the movie Gladiator
The 1st clue to AGW should be the buzzards circling overhead.
The more independent centers there are evaluating this stuff, the better so far as I’m concerned. One way you suppress minority viewpoints is making sure they don’t have anywhere else to be heard by setting up the “one and only” place and trying to force all viewpoints to funnel thru it, ala IPCC.
He is going for a twofer. a Nobel in literature too. After that, who knows. Medicine perhaps?
A prophet is not without honor save in his own country.
Nice story from the Telegraphy..
Rajendra just says things trying to keep himself consistent and appearing innocent.
This is a slight dichotomy the reporter put him in given his responses,
The Economist: And would you welcome that? (procedure dealing with self interest)
Dr Pachauri: Of course, absolutely. I would have no hesitation. In fact, I would suggest it myself if I got the opportunity.
The Economist: Well you’ve had the opportunity, surely, sir?
Dr Pachauri: Why would I raise something, unless there is a reason for me to raise it?
So then you wouldn’t raise it yourself is what you’re saying, even given opportunity. Basically the opposite of what you just said Rajendra.
He goes on to make himself look cripplingly bad,
Dr Pachauri: “I can also tell you, sir, and I hope you will report this, my institute, before I became chair of the IPCC, had developed the website of the IPCC, we were paid a modest amount for doing that. The day I became chairman of the IPCC, I said I will not take any payment whatsoever and my institute expended its own resources for maintaining and running the website of the IPCC.”
Building a website, maybe that cost several hundred dollars.. WOW. The cost of maintaining the website.. like what a couple hundred or a thousand dollars a year?
Dr Pachauri: “I personally feel there is nothing like a personal example, to set the bar or the standard for what could be an absence of conflict of interest.”
You feel there’s nothing like? This is from the leader of the IPCC, what is supposed to be the most regimented and robust collaboration which completely proofs itself of criticism. Instead of taking your personal assurances Rajendra, how about a legal framework instead so that we can hold you and other unelected bureaucracies accountable for misdirection, corruption of scientific principles and causing unnecessary alarm and hysteria? You know.. just incase… we could use models if that helps put your mind at ease?
Rajendra claims he has no idea about his salary.. yeah okay. So your salary increased as of 2 years ago to keep it in line with inflation but you can’t figure out what the new salary would be? So you never knew how much you got paid and can’t do the math? Do you know what range it’s in, just a ball park figure?
After re reading the note,
Pulling out of the IPCC may be more like expressing total ambivalence and disregarding its existence. Not even enough initiative to tell them they are kicked to the curb. They are just doing all their own work and research from now on. When people quit a job by not showing up. India has apparently decided they won’t show their face there again?
Steve Goddard (10:36:17) :
Steve, I think the Nobel committee made itself irrelevant long ago. Yes Arafat was the first leak, but the damn burst with Carter, Gore, the IPCC and then Obama. It is clearly a worthless (as far as contributions) prize that is used by cowards to speak for themselves since they have no backbone to say it themselves.
rbateman,
“A people should know when they are conquered. At the first signal release the catapults. We’ll use the cavalry to cut off the retreat”
– Maximus speaking to Quintus
People might like to note this little aside in the Telegraph (if you can believe anything in the MSMs nowadays..)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/6828878/Britain-facing-food-crisis-as-worlds-soil-vanishes-in-60-years.html
While the CRU and Hansen are anxious to cut the supply of CO2 to the world’s plant population, farmers are up in arms about the collapse of soil quality, and need to get more carbon into it.
You might think that this could possibly be arranged by increasing the percentage of CO2 in the air? Myself, I couldn’t possibly comment…
hmm, so what’s this all about then. Someone’s got wrong, most likely the telegraph it seems
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/Pachauri-has-highest-level-support-from-government-Ramesh/505242/H1-Article1-505344.aspx
Pachauri has highest level support from government: Ramesh
Days after turning the heat on the IPCC chief over the Himalayan glaciers melting issue, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said the government supports R K Pachauri as the UN climate change panel’s head at the highest level. “The government backs Pachauri as the chief of the Intergovernmental Penal on Climate Change (IPCC) at the highest level. Past is past,” Ramesh said referring to his recent criticism of the UN body chief on the goof up that glaciers will melt by 2035, a claim later found to be false.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7157590/India-to-pull-out-of-IPCC.html
Dr Pachauri had dismissed the government’s claims as “voodoo science”, but last night Mr Ramesh effectively marginalised the IPC chairman even further.
Phil,
Al Gore has provided us with endless hours of entertainment. That should be worth something? His Oscar was better deserved than his Nobel Prize.
I have good news for you.
It may be the hottest decade on instrument record but it certainly isn’t the hottest decade in the paleoclimate record. The entirety of the instrument record covers only a small portion – roughly 180 years – of a 900 to 1200 year cooling/warming cycle that has repeated cyclically throughout the current Holocene interglacial period that we live in.
For “hottest decade on record” to have any meaning, there needs to be some quantitative perspective of climate history. For example, during the second peak of Holocene Climate Optimum (around 4,000 years ago), temperatures were significantly warmer than this decade with temperatures rising at it’s onset at a much faster rate than trends over our narrow instrument record. Indeed over the past 300-400 years we’ve been climbing out of the low trough of a cold climate phase (otherwise known as the Little Ice Age). It should come as no surprise that this decade might be the warmest on instrument record, considering that the reliable instrument record covers only a brief portion of a predictable and decidedly warming natural climate phase.
You can’t constrain your view of climate to 180 years and say anything about global temperature normals other than to say we’re in warming or cooling climate phase. When you look at today’s climate in a proper perspective of the climate cycles across our roughly 14,000 year interglacial period, there is nothing unusual or unprecedented about the climate of the past decade.
History has undeniably demonstrated that civilizations flourished during warming climate phases and suffered during cooling phases. We’re presently in a warming phase. From a historical perspective, that’s the good news. While you love to say “I told you so,” you told us nothing of importance that we didn’t already have a more objective and contextual understanding of.