Pachauri rubbishes govt-backed report on melting of glaciers

New Delhi, Nov 15 (PTI) Rubbishing the claim by an
Indian government-backed study that melting of glaciers was
not due to climate change, leading environmentalist R K
Pachauri Sunday dubbed it as "totally unsubstantiated
scientific opinion" and flayed India's Environment Minister
Jairam Ramesh for endorsing it.

Pachauri, the head of Nobel prize winner
Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said it was
universally acknowledged that glaciers were melting because of
climate change and the same applied to Indian glaciers.
"Everywhere in the world, glaciers are melting due to
climate change, the Arctic is melting because of climate
change. What is so special about Indian glaciers?" Pachauri
told PTI.
The study by former deputy director general of the
Geological Survey of India V K Raina has claimed that while
most glaciers are in the process of retreat, some Himalayan
glaciers, such as the Siachen glacier, are actually advancing
and some others are retreating at a rate lower than before,
such as the Gangotri glacier.
The study, which was released by Ramesh last week,
also claimed that climate change can't be cited as a reason
for melting of glaciers in the absence of conclusive
scientific evidence, a view that contradicts that of IPCC.
Questioning the basis of the study supported by the
Environment Ministry, Pachauri asked, "How can you come to the
conclusion that it is not climate change and something else?
You give the reasons first. I don't know why the minister is
supporting this one-man research." (MORE) PTI AJD
ANU


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