WASHINGTON, D.C. - July 14, 2009 - The World Environment Center (WEC) today announced that the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and winner of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. R.K. Pachauri, will be the featured speaker at its next Washington Sustainability Forum on July 21, 2009 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Pachauri is the co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Peace for his leadership in Chairing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world body responsible for assessing the risks of global climate change and evaluating policy response options. He also serves as the Director-General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, India and has recently been appointed to lead the newly established Yale Climate and Energy Institute.

Dr. Pachauri will speak on a number of climate change issues, including: the U.S. climate change debate and its impact upon the global negotiations; the role of major developing nations in forging a binding global agreement; the key factors that need to come together to produce a global agreement; and recent scientific information since the publication of the last IPCC assessment.
"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has clearly highlighted that if temperature increase on account of climate change is to be limited to 2°C (as agreed in the recent G8 Summit), then we have to ensure that global emissions peak no later than 2015," noted Dr. Pachauri. "It is essential, therefore, for the global community to make major commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions urgently. In this regard the U.S., as President Obama has committed, must establish a position of leadership."

"Given the pivotal U.S. Senate debate on climate change and the ongoing negotiations to achieve a global agreement, Dr. Pachauri's remarks will prove to be especially timely and important," stated Dr. Terry F. Yosie, WEC President & CEO. "As one of the world's most authoritative and influential voices on climate change, he brings a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges facing decision makers from all nations."

The Forum will be sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company. The Washington Sustainability Forum, a major initiative to create dialogue on sustainable development issues, was launched in 2007. Previous Forum speakers have included: Senator Joseph Lieberman, Zhou Wenzhong, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United States, and Stavros Dimas, the European Union’s Environmental Commissioner.

WEC is an independent, global non-profit, non-advocacy organization whose mission is to implement sustainable development practices with business and stakeholder partners.

World Environment Center

World Environment Center

The World Environment Center advances sustainable development through corporate business practices. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in Europe and Latin America, WEC creates business solutions through Executive Roundtables on key sustainability challenges, builds capacity of small enterprises in emerging markets, and honors industry excellence through its annual Gold Medal Award. WEC is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization. For more information, please visit www.wec.org.

More from World Environment Center