Chairman Of Climate Change Panel Says Gaps Between Countries Are Blaring

The Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, met with the United Nations Secretary-General today to talk in advance about getting an agenda agreement together for the United Nations Climate Change conference scheduled from December 7-18 2009. Many skeptics of the climate change issue project the conference will be a failure. After talks broke down on climate agreements at the G-8 meeting held in Italy earlier this month, Pachauri said while the G-8 mainly committed themselves to the ideas, there seem to be blaring gaps on how the on the ground reductions of greenhouse gases globally will be reduced by 2015-2020.

“We really have very little time,” he said.

Greenhouse gas emissions have increased 70 percent since the 1970’s.

The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. It is the leading body for the assessment of climate change, established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic consequences.

“I believe we have to move on to clean air technologies, the sooner the better.”

Pachauri said the Waxman/Markey HR 2454 American Clean Energy and Security Act bill having gone through the House is a big step forward. The Bill underscores supporting a new renewable electricity standard (RES) that includes wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and marine sources. The goal is to have six percent of electricity coming from these renewables by 2012 and requires twenty percent of electricity to come from renewables by 2020. The bill would put a cap on emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, and would require high-emitting industries to reduce their output to specific targets between now and the middle of the century.

“I believe now the United States Administration is trying to do its best. But whether or not the best is good enough, will depend on if the legislation goes through.”

Pauchari added that impacts of climate change are going to be progressively serious. Actions to mitigate greenhouse gases are also considerably lower. He hoped the Copenhagen conference in December will help the IPCC achieve global political consensus.

“The time has come for the global community to take action. Until two years ago, there was a posture of apathy, I see that shifting, especially in the position of the U.S. Administration” he said.