At the COP15, youth delegates had the chance
to ask the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who has a key position in the overall climate change negotiations at the conference. Dr. Pachauri informed that he should have been in Norway at President Obama's Nobel Prize ceremony, however decided to stay in Denmark to speak at events like this to encourage youth leadership for climate change, stating that "youth can bring change."[Top: Talyn Rahman with Dr. Raj Pachauri]
Dr.Pachauri defended the work of the IPCC, in light of private emails - "Climate Gate" - being leaked into the press which could have potentially overshadowed the negotiations. All publishable statements are reviewed by experts line for line, including comments on websites and official reports such as the IPCC 4th Assessment addressing the scientific background on climate change. He highlighted concerns that the negotiations are losing focus on scientific evidence of climate change, as nations are close to sealing a 'politically binding agreement' as opposed to a 'legally binding agreement'. Nonetheless, developed countries are collectively agreeing on target emissions that are to be met by 2015.
He encouraged youth to keep on working and to be active back home, urging that politicians continue to work on climate change beyond election days whether or not the outcome of COP15 is satisfactory. Dr. Pachauri affirmed that hope is "what keeps us going. Hope is what brought you and other civil society groups here and created unprecedented awareness on climate change. We might not get a great deal, but let's not lose hope."
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