NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, FEB 13
Rajinder K. Pachauri, former chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, died here on Thursday. He was 79.
Dr. Pachauri, who was the founder chief executive of The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), was ailing for some time and had undergone heart surgery in January. He was on life support for most of last week, a spokesperson from TERI said.
“TERI is what it is because of Dr Pachauri’s untiring perseverance. He played a pivotal role in growing this institution, and making it a premier global organisation in the sustainability space,” said Ajay Mathur, director-general, TERI, who succeeded Dr. Pachauri in 2015.
Dr. Pachauri stepped down as executive vice-chairman of the organisation he led since 1981 on controversial grounds that began after he was accused of sexual harassment by a woman colleague in 2015. He denied these allegations but the Delhi Police, in 2016, framed charges against him and the matter was in court.
“Dr. Pachauri’s contribution to global sustainable development is unparalleled. His leadership of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) laid the ground for climate change conversations today,” added Nitin Desai, chairman, TERI.
In April 2002, Dr. Pachauri was elected the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established by the World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme in 1988. He received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC, along with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, for the year 2007. The Nobel Prize recognised IPCC for its efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.
