UN body claim of Himalayan glaciers melting alarmist: Ramesh

New Delhi, Jan 18 (PTI) Slamming a UN climate body for
predicting that most of the Himalayan glaciers will melt by
2035, the Indian government Monday said such forecasts were
alarmist and sans scientific basis.

"The health of the glaciers is a cause of grave concern
but the Intergovernmental Panal on Climate Change's (IPCC)
alarmist position that the glaciers will vanish by 2035 was
not based on an iota of scientific evidence.
"In fact, we had issued a report (by scientist V K Raina)
that the glaciers, have not retreated abnormally. That time we
were dismissed, saying it was based on voodoo science. But the
new report has clearly vindicated our position," Indian
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters here.
He also took a dig at the comments made by
Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) chairman
R K Pachauri, who had dubbed the Environment Ministry's report
as "voodoo science".
Ramesh's comments came following revelations that the
IPCC's claim that glaciers will melt by 2035 actually came
from a 1999 article in a scientific journal, which relied on
an estimate made by a leading glaciologist Syed Iqbal Hasnain
and was in no way verified by any members of the climate body.
There are indications that the IPCC might retract from
its claim that glaciers will melt by 2035.
The Minister, however, added, "I still maintain that the
glaciers issue is very serious issue for India. Most glaciers
are receding and most are in a poor state of health but from
that to derive the conclusion that all glaciers will vanish by
2035 was alarmist and misplaced." PTI AJ
RBT