'Partnership key to tackle climate change challenge'

The negotiations on the Climate Change Convention and the Kyoto Protocol are fought fiercely by various governments due to their impact on the national energy economics. The assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have been providing the scientific template for all climate change discussions since 1988. Dr Rajendra K. Pachauri, Director-General of the Tata Energy Research Institute, became the first Indian to be elected Chairman of IPCC, during the recent elections at the international scientific and technical body. In an e-mail interview to Business Line, he spelt out his priorities and concerns. Even before becoming the Chairperson of IPCC, you have been associated with it as Vice-Chair. The IPCC had been coming out with its assessments on the adverse impacts of global warming, and what policymakers should do to mitigate it. What do you think will be major impact of global warming on India? What should be the major actions of policy makers and citizens to mitigate these impacts? The impact of climate change on India can be serious. For instance, the sea level rise will not only affect several coastal settlements and economic activities, but also damage ecosystems in these locations. Further, sea level rise will lead to higher salinity further inland. There are also likely to be adverse impacts on agriculture, forests and biodiversity. In other areas there are indications of very serious impacts, such as the receding of our glaciers in the Himalayan range. This trend can have very serious effects on water supply in the northern half of this subcontinent. Against the likelihood of these impacts we would need to take certain adaptation measures. For instance, biotechnology in agricultural research will have to focus on creating more salt-tolerant species of plants. We need to manage our water resources more efficiently so that scarcity does not lead to crises. Of course, all these actions will be taken only if climate change is understood and accepted by our policymakers. As Chairman of the IPCC, what will be your priorities for the short-term and long-term (for your six-year tenure)? My major priorities as Chairman of the IPCC would be to uphold and enhance the credibility and integrity of the organisation. The work of the IPCC has to be objective and of a very high level in terms of academic and professional strengths. I would like to see that the best scientists and experts from all over the world are utilised for the work of the IPCC. In terms of priorities I would like to focus on the economic and social aspects of climate change. We would also need to be more focussed on regional and local issues to the extent possible. Finally, I would like to launch a major outreach programme, so that the work of the IPCC reaches a large cross section of society to ensure its fullest benefits. This is the first time that an Indian has been chosen to head this technical body that holds a mirror to policymakers on issues related to global warming. As a scientific institution, IPCC has a certain continuity that is international in nature. However, as a scientist with decades of working experience in India, what are the Indian and developing country perspectives that you can bring to this body? Now that I am Chairman of the IPCC, I am in several respects a stateless person and would have to view the work of the organisation within a global context. But I would try to be sensitive to the interests of those countries which have not had enough of a voice in the past, and which are likely to be the worst victims of climate change. This includes the developing small island states, the least developed countries and many others. I believe a greater regional and location-specific focus would be of interest to every society on earth. With such an approach, I think it should be possible to get the involvement and interest of every country in the world on the subject of climate change. Though the role of IPCC is policy advisory but not policy prescriptive, it is said that political pulls do not affect it. However, in reality, it certainly cannot be above these pressures, since its recommendations deal with energy, and the access to and use of energy determines the strengths of national economies. How do you propose to handle these pressures? I fully realise that in an intergovernmental body of the type the IPCC is, political pressures will certainly be present. However, the Panel has evolved an excellent culture, based on consensus and objective debate. I would try my very best to build on this approach without compromising on the overall objectives of the IPCC. I fully understand that the work of the IPCC involves very delicate and difficult exercise of diplomatic skills. However, I feel confident that I would be able to measure up to these requirements. `Partnership between stakeholders' is the theme that is being focussed strongly in the current environmental discussions ? the Prepcoms and the WSSD. Do you think that partnerships can help tackle emission of greenhouse gases? What kind of partnerships do you visualise? And, more pertinently, what are the limitations of the partnership process? Partnership is absolutely essential for tackling the challenge of climate change, simply because this is a problem that the entire global community has to participate in solving. I think the spirit of partnership is clearly included in the Framework Convention on Climate Change, which emphasises "common but differentiated responsibility" for all countries on earth. Partnership, however, would have to be based on sensitive acceptance of the constraints and opportunities that each society faces in tackling the challenge. I visualise partnerships based on the role of technology and finance, wherein the countries of north and south, east and west will have to work together. There is, of course, a limited role for the flexibility mechanisms included in the Kyoto Protocol. The limitations of the partnership process would be defined by national interest clashing with international objectives. But much would depend on the kind of atmosphere of co-operation and compromise we are able to create in the international arena. Much of the controversies regarding the manner in which global warming can be tackled comes because there are still a lot of scientific uncertainties over the linkages between GHG emissions and the impact on the climate. Do you think these uncertainties will reduce over the years? There will always be some uncertainty between the causes of climate change and the nature and magnitude of their impacts. However, these uncertainties have been reduced considerably in recent years, a trend which is likely to continue. Essentially, scientific knowledge as it evolves will have a major effect in reducing uncertainties in the area of climate change. This is something that the IPCC will have to attempt consciously, but of course the work of the IPCC would be dependent on the quality of research and existing knowledge that is available.