After the Himalyan folly, comes the story from The Sunday Times that the IPCC knew that it was not possible to connect the rise in natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods to global warming, but it kept quiet about this. This is nothing but voodoo, according to the accusation against the IPCC.
The fact of the matter is that climate science, as you have pointed out ( “Beyond global warming”, January 22), is not an exact science. So, for every paper that the IPCC cites, there will be one arguing the exact opposite. We can keep arguing about it, but the evidence appears overwhelming, even if the “scientific” papers don’t prove it. The glaciers may not disappear in the next 20 years, but as Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said, the Himalyan glaciers are in terrible shape. It would be foolhardy to wait forever for the final report that all scientists agree to, before we take a decision on whether we are to act on global warming or not.
Sanjay Sharma, New Delhi
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