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IPCC apologises for Himalayan glacier melt error

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has conceded an error when stating in its last report, released 2007, that Himalayan glaciers are likely to melt by 2035. The claim has been criticized by numerous glaciologists for being highly unplausible (see Glacier estimate is on thin ice)

In a statement, released on 20 January, the IPCC apologises for the „poorly substantiated estimates of rate of recession and date for the Himalayan glaciers.“

The IPCC’s working group on impacts of climate change had taken the date, 2035, from an un-refereed report from the conservation group WWF.

„In drafting the paragraph in question, the clear and well-established standards of evidence, required by the IPCC procedures were not applied properly,“ the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the IPCC, and the Co-Chairs of the IPCC Working Groups said in their joint statement.

The panel stresses the validity of its overall conclusion that glacier mass losses, including in the Himalayas, are likely to accelerate throughout the 21st century, reducing water availability in regions supplied by meltwater from mountain glaciers and snowpacks.

„This conclusion is robust, appropriate, and entirely consistent with the underlying science and the broader IPCC assessment,“ it says.

Quirin Schiermeier

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    Dileep V. Sathe said:

    The IPCC and melting of Himalayan glaciers is the present hot topic of discussion but I find no mention of the “gates of hell” – a horrifying event of 1971. I am surprised because the location of that event is close to Himalay. I contacted the IPCC a few months back, but have not received any response from the same. Interested citizens can visit the following link to see the photo of event and my comment.

    https://quinncreative.wordpress.com/2008/07/11/the-gates-of-hell-in-tajikistan/#comment-13914

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