Scientists Review IPCC and Call for Restructuring Efforts

An independent review of the UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in late August revealed that the Panel was in drastic need of major changes in its operation, increasing the pressure on the Panel’s chairman, Rajendra Pachauri. The chairman has been accused in the past of conducting business deals that display a conflict of interest based on his affiliation with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). This reason joins many other factors that have put the IPCC under intense scrutiny over the past few years, and recent events have increased the negative attention received by the Nobel Prize-winning Panel. The InterAcademy Council was responsible for the review of the IPCC and suggested “significant reform” that would almost necessitate the removal of Pachauri as chairman.

Pachauri and the IPCC

In January of this year, IPCC officials admitted that they had published an “unfounded claim” in their 2007 report that Himalayan glaciers could melt away entirely by the year 2035. It was found that the source of the claim was not peer-reviewed at all and was based purely on a media interview with a scientist that was conducted in 1999. The fact that the IPCC published this dated and groundless claim as fact has stirred up controversy over the Panel’s leadership and functionality. In its recent analysis, the review council found that the IPCC, under the direction of Pachauri, has been blatantly disregarding its own guidelines on the subject of communicating scientific uncertainties. The Panel has also been found to be in poor conditions, with only ten staff members and a part-time boss who haven’t properly managed public relations for their organization. With the additional errors published in the IPCC’s latest report, this organization is actually working against public support for global warming awareness. In order to promote global warming research and efforts to curb its effects on the environment, it’s obvious that the IPCC needs some serious restructuring.

The InterAcademy Council’s Recommendations

The Council suggests that the IPCC set up a legitimate management structure, which means that an executive committee needs to be established and led by a full-time executive director. With more staff members and a successful organizational structure, the IPCC would be better able to address criticism, monitor its publication of uncertain facts, and work toward achieving its goals rather than getting bogged down in responding to negative attention. Another recommendation is that no chairman should ever serve more than one six-year term. This would automatically rule out Pachauri, who is well into his second term, having served for eight years. Those who led the review insisted that they had no personal problems with Pachauri, but that ousting him from the chairman position was the “one logical conclusion” of their analysis.

Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She often can be found blogging about education and scholarships for college. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.