- James Ferguson ‘Jim’ Skea of the United Kingdom was elected as the new chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Skea beat his nearest rival, Thelma Krug of Brazil, in a run-off. He won 90 votes while Krug won 69.
- Krug, an IPCC vice-chair and former researcher at Brazil’s national space institute, narrowly missed a chance to be the first female chair of the IPCC.
- The election took place at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, where the IPCC is holding its 59th Session. Elections for other positions in the IPCC Bureau, including the Co-Chairs of the IPCC Working Groups, will take place from July 26-28.
- Skea is Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College in London. He has nearly 40 years of climate science experience and expertise. Skea will lead the IPCC through its seventh assessment cycle.
IPCC
- IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) is a United Nations body established in 1988.
- It is a scientific organization responsible for evaluating and providing reliable information on climate change, its impacts and possible adaptation and solution strategies.
- The IPCC operates in collaboration with thousands of scientists from around the world who volunteer to dedicate their expertise and research.
- These scientists review and evaluate the latest scientific literature to prepare comprehensive assessment reports.