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IPCC chair Pachauri steps down over sexual harassment allegation

Xinhua, February 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Rajendra Pachauri has stepped down following sexual harassment allegations against him by a 29-year- old female researcher attached to his New Delhi based think-tank.

A statement released on Tuesday by the bureau of IPCC meeting in Nairobi said Pachauri's deputy Ismael El Gizouli will be the acting chair of the UN body tasked with generating climate science.

"The action taken today will ensure that IPCC's mission to assess climate change continues without interruption," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in the statement.

The 74 year-old Indian scientist was elected the Chair of the UN climate science panel in 2002. Pachouri's stewardship of IPCC won global acclaim and is credited for securing a Nobel Peace Prize for the non partisan scientific body in 2007.

Reports about his inappropriate behavior towards a female researcher in his New Delhi based energy think-tank surfaced on Sunday ahead of a major IPCC summit in Nairobi.

Pachauri skipped the high level IPCC summit taking place in Nairobi this week.

Delegates accepted his resignation and pledged to advance scientific research in order to strengthen global response to climate change. Endi