SIC ministers support IPCC despite Himalayan blunder

Environment ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India, China (BASIC countries) today came out in support of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) despite its blunder in saying Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035.

Environment ministers of Brazil, South Africa, India, China (BASIC countries) on Sunday came out in support of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) despite its blunder in saying Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035.

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"Kaka or Ronaldinho may miss an occasional goal but that does not make them any less exceptional players," Brazil's Environment Minister Carlos Minc said in New Delhi. "Scientists can make a mistake, but that does not make science less important."

He was speaking at a press conference after a daylong meeting of BASIC environment ministers.

India's Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the IPCC was correct in its overall conclusion that Himalayan glaciers were receding and were in poor health due to global warming.

"But we need an intensified regional programme on glaciology," Ramesh added. "We are talking to ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development) for it."

China's Vice Chairman for National Development and Reforms Commission Xie Zhenhua said: "The mainstream view is according to IPCC. We can carry out more scientific studies, but we need to take action right now, because global warming effects in the Himalayas is affecting millions of people."