Work of Nobel Prize-winning climate change panel hailed by UN official
9 April 2008 - The head of the lead United Nations agency on weather, climate and water has lauded the work of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), whose Nobel Prize-winning efforts have helped the world better understand the impact of
global warming on the planet.
"Key IPCC messages have now been widely publicized with the support of many nations and of the United Nations, and serve
as the basis for an international mobilization in the domain of climate change," said Hong Yan, Deputy Secretary-General
of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Addressing an IPCC meeting which began today in Budapest, Hungary, Hong Yan noted in particular the panel's latest
research on the impacts of climate change on water, which he said reinforced the need for countries - especially in the
developing world - to strengthen the monitoring and observational capacities of their National Meteorological and
Hydrological Services.
He said the work on climate change and water covers a number of WMO's concerns, such as the link between global warming
and large-scale changes in the hydrological cycle, including changing precipitation patterns, the melting of continental
ice and changes in the frequency and intensity of droughts.
"All these aspects of the climate system are central to WMO's expertise and these results highlight the need to further
support research and observations," he stated.
Established in 1988 by WMO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the IPCC and its more than 2,000 scientists and
experts have grappled with science and economics of climate change and its likely impacts. It was recognized for its
groundbreaking work in 2007 when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with former United States Vice-President
and climate change activist Al Gore.
WMO has been supporting the Panel's work in a variety of ways, including as the principal provider of the scientific and
technical information that underpins IPCC assessments.
Mr. Hong Yan stressed the commitment of WMO to assisting the Panel in its work and in facilitating the increasing
involvement of scientists from both developed and developing countries to meet the challenges of global climate change -
one of the "defining challenges of the 21st century."
ENDS