Korean professor in the economics of climate change, energy and sustainable development, Hoesung Lee (69) was elected on Tuesday evening to head the Inter-governmental Panel for Climate Change at its 42nd session underway in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Lee succeeds the previous chairperson R.K. Pachauri of India who had stepped down, following the sexual abuse scandal in which he was allegedly involved.
Mr. Lee was elected by 78 votes to 56 in a run-off with Jean-Pascale van Ypersele from Belgium. “The next phase of our work will see us increase our understanding of regional impacts, especially in developing countries, and improve the way we communicate our findings to the public. Above all, we need to provide more information about the options that exist for preventing and adapting to climate change,” he said soon after the results were announced, according to an IPCC official communication.
Mr. Lee, one of the Vice-Chairs of the IPCC, had served on various boards including as executive member of the Korean Academy of Environmental Sciences; a member of the Asia Development Bank President’s advisory board, a council member of the Global Green Growth Institute and an editorial board member of UK based Climate Policy. He was also the founding president of the Korea Energy Economic Institute and the former president of the International Association for Energy Economics. He has been involved in the IPCC in various capacities including as Working Group III Co-Chair since its Second Assessment Report of 1992.
Six other candidates were fielded to fill the post of the IPCC chairman, lying vacant since February this year. The IPCC elections had been much looked forward to by climate watchers, as the international research organisation plays a central role in generating the knowledge resources that feeds into climate policy globally.
Time for solutions
With the elections now concluded, the process for beginning work on the IPCC’s sixth assessment report, expected to be completed in five to seven years, is due initiation. In an interview given recently to Carbon Brief, Lee pointed to the “need to have some reasonable understanding and estimates of climate damages” which he felt was a major stumbling block in the study of climate change economics right now. Lee also said in this interview that he differed from the previous IPCC chair Pachauri’s suggestion that the IPCC be involved in the assessment of INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) submitted by various governments. Reflecting on the future of the IPCC, Mr. Lee pointed to “reaching a point where we have done enough of identifying problems and we may have time now to see the solutions.” He also invited climate sceptics to come before the organisation and share their views.
