Financial Times; Apr 20, 2002
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY & THE AMERICAS: US pressure forces removal of climate change chief
By JOHN MASON
The outspoken leader of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading scientific body advising on global warming, was yesterday removed as chairman after pressure from the US government and Exxon, the US oil company.
In a secret ballot in Geneva, member countries voted 57-49 to replace Robert Watson with Indian engineer and economist Rajenda Pachauri.
The move outraged environmental groups which claimed the US had undermined Mr Watson because of his effectiveness in mobilising international opinion over climate change. In a recent leaked memo from Exxon to the White House, the company asked the administration to push for Mr Watson to be replaced.
Mr Watson, a US physicist who headed the IPCC for six years, enjoyed the confidence of many European governments, including the UK. Although Mr Pachauri is well-regarded, some see him as having to prove he can provide effective leadership of the IPCC.
Michael Grubb, head of energy policy at Imperial College, London, said: "No one seriously questioned Bob Watson's scientific credentials or his effectiveness as a manager - if anything he was just too good for the comfort of some countries. The new chairman will have to work hard to maintain the reputation of the IPCC for objectivity and effectiveness."
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