New Allegations Highlight Delays in Action
Washington, D.C.– Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight Chairman Paul Broun (R-GA) today sent a letter to United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, calling for the adoption of a Conflict of Interest Policy for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
“Recent press reports have once again highlighted the need for the IPCC to address conflicts of interest” Broun wrote. “If these press reports are true, it would seem as though one of the lead authors of Chapter 10 of the IPCC ‘Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation’ was not only an employee of the advocacy group Greenpeace International, but also the co-author of one of the studies being reviewed in that Chapter.” He continued, “Despite my previous requests for the IPCC to adopt and enforce more stringent policies related to conflicts of interest and the use and citation of ‘gray literature,’ the IPCC has delayed action.”
Citing recent events that have raised questions about the adequacy and implementation of IPCC policies, as well as the independence of its leadership, Broun called on the UN to immediately adopt specific protocols to prevent further conflicts, politicization, and manipulation.
In the letter, Broun wrote that it is “imperative for the IPCC to adopt a rigorous conflict of interest policy before its 34th Session, tentatively scheduled to take place in January 2012.”
A full copy of the letter can be found HERE
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