“Dooms Day” Global Warming Prediction Based on “Journalistic Assumption”

Now that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has expressed regret over its report on melting and disappearance of Himalayan glaciers, the climate denial band wagon has found another stick to beat global warming experts with. How reliable are the ‘catastrophe’ predictions of IPCC and other global warming scientists? Prof. Syed Iqbal Hasnain, a Senior Fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute run by the IPCC Chairman Dr. R. K. Pachauri, now denies that he had ever predicted the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers by 2035. He explains that this prediction, given in the IPCC report, was based on a ‘journalistic assumption’ extrapolated from 20 years of his work, arrived by Fred Pearce, in the article “Flooded out” published in the New Scientist in 1999. The reality may be so. But the question is why he, probably one of the authors of the controversial IPCC report, and others involved remained silent when such dooms day predictions were propagated by IPCC? Ulterior motives? Coming to ulterior motives, it is evident that scientists, in general, and those from developing countries, in particular, have a tendency to make a ‘mountain out of the mole-hill’ of their research findings in order to secure project funding and higher positions, as well as for getting awards and rewards. How many awards have been garnered by resourceful scientists, from professional bodies, often under their control, or government agencies advised by such bodies? But who cares about their “inventions or findings”? Such aberrations result from the lack of a true scientific spirit and curiosity to know the truth, coupled with greed for power and position, seen in many such pseudo-scientists. As regards Himalayan glaciers which provide water to nearly 40 % of the world’s population, very little scientific study has been carried out. In a report in the Guardian, Isabel Hilton states that there is a striking lack of useful data and available field work on the thousands of Himalayan glaciers spread over a number of countries and in a very difficult terrain to approach. A lack of crucial skills needed for collection of such data may also be there. However, the people of the Himalayan region are well aware of the consequences of global warming on their glaciers and its consequences on water supply, power supply, and agriculture in the region. Generation of scientific data and action to mitigate global warming based on actual data are very essential to prevent the possible disappearance of the Himalayan glaciers in a not-far distant future. What is needed is not a denial of global warming but a concerted action to collect relevant data and take appropriate action to mitigate global warming and its consequences. Reference 1. IPCC expresses regret over glacier melting conclusion, The Hindu, January 21, 2010 2. Vested interests have targeted my research, says Hasnain, The Hindu, January 21, 2010 3. Very little research on Himalayan glaciers, Isabel Hilton, Guardian Newspapers Ltd., 2010, The Hindu, January 21, 2010 4. U N to review claim, Adam Vaughan, Guardian Newspapers Ltd., 2010, The Hindu, January 21, 2010