Wednesday, January 20, 2010

IPCC officials admit mistake over melting Himalayan glaciers

From The Guardian website. "Senior members of the UN's climate science body admit a claim that Himalayan glaciers could melt away by 2035 was unfounded" The headlines here were designed to discredit the reported facts about the rapid melting of the Himalayan glaciers; but if one reads the report carefully, it only refers to the prediction regarding the specific year when the glaciers will melt away.

The IPCC says the broader conclusion of the report is unaffected: that glaciers have melted significantly, that this will accelerate and affect the supply of water from major mountain ranges "where more than one-sixth of the world population currently lives".
 Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, vice-chair of the IPCC, added that the mistake did nothing to undermine the large body of evidence that showed the climate was warming and that human activity was largely to blame. He told BBC News: "I don't see how one mistake in a 3,000-page report can damage the credibility of the overall report. "
See also Der Speigel's coverage.