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Doesn't matter if I'm not named as an individual in Nobel citation: Dr Pachauri

Last updated on: October 12, 2007 23:27 IST
Dr Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says it does not matter to him that the Nobel Prize citation does not name him as an individual as long as the IPCC gets due recognition.

The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to the IPCC and former United States vice-president Al Gore on Friday afternoon.

Asked about his initial reactions on the IPCC winning the Nobel Prize, Dr Pachauri said he was "deeply humbled by the honour that has been bestowed on me by the Nobel Committee. In any case, this is an honour that goes to all the scientists and authors who have contributed to the IPCC's work."

The tireless enviromentalist travels thousands of kilometres each month to create awareness about the dangers of global warming.

"At best the emissions can increase up to 2015. Thereafter, it has to go down," Dr Pachauri told a crowded press conference at his office in New Delhi's Lodhi Road area. He heads The Energy and Resources Institute, an environmental think-tank.

"The developed countries will have to do reductions (of greenhouse gas emissions)," he added. "After 2020 they (gas emissions) will have go down."

Dr Pachauri asked developing countries, particularly China, India and Brazil to evolve strategies by which they can improve the planet's eco-levels while keeping their respective economic ambitions in mind.

He admitted that the glaciers in various mountain ranges, including the Himalayas, are melting rapidly.

"We have to find ways to adapt to the new conditions. Water shortages are going to be a reality in several parts of the world. We have to learn to adapt," he explained.

Onkar Singh in New Delhi