R.K. Pachauri says he was not personally responsible for the mistake  Insists it was an “isolated” mistake, “totally out of character” with IPCC’s rigorous standards “I don’t do many populist things, that’s why I’m so unpopular with a certain section of society” LONDON: Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change (IPCC), on Wednesday admitted that its credibility was damaged by the controversy over its 2007 report, which falsely...

The controversy generated by Bt brinjal, the first genetically modified (GM) food crop, has thrown up several important issues concerning GM crops, the role of regulators and of global corporate interests in agribusiness. These related issues are as important as that pertaining to the safety of GM food. Firstly, the questions raised on different aspects of testing and risk evaluation have brought the technical competence of the Genetic Engineering Approval...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to carry out a comprehensive study on the economics of climate change in Northeast Asia, Manila-based ADB said in a press release on Monday. The study’s aim is to help regional and country-level decision makers address the issue of climate change and to develop low- carbon growth strategies in their countries and the region, the ADB said. The study, Economics of climate change and Low...

The State of Environment Report 2009, a report put out by the Union government that is meant to be an up-to-date official view on environmental issues says that “...Himalayan glaciers could disappear in the next 50 years” It may have gone on an offensive against a controversial report by the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change (IPCC) on Indian glaciers disappearing by 2035, but till August, the ministry of environment and forests...

Are the world and human society in general ready and willing to take action on critical issues that require a major change in the manner in which we produce and consume goods and services?  The science of climate change is now well established. This is the result of painstaking work of over two decades carried out by thousands of scientists drawn from across the globe to assess every aspect of...