KATHMANDU: One of the negotiators of the government team on climate change Conference in Copenhagen today said that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has given the words to conduct 'reliable and rigorous research' on the melting of the Himalayas.

"The words were given during my personal talk with the chairman of IPCC, who told me that they will come up with the research idea on the Himalayas soon," Adarsha Pokharel, a climate change expert said, referring to his tête-à-tête with Rajendra Kumar Pachuari, Chairman of IPCC.

IPCC is an intergovernmental body tasked with the assessment of climate change and is established by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organisation. The present global negotiation is based on the scientific findings of the IPCC.

The report of the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forest stating that the melting of the Himalayas could not be linked with the climate change, hit up a row a month before.

"Pachauri emphasised on the research but vehemently denied the findings of the report from Indian ministry," added Pokharel.

IPCC has already mentioned the issues of melting of the Himalayas in the fourth Assessment report published in 2007 stating that the Himalayas are melting at an alarming rate.

Meanwhile, the delegates from different sectors are busying themselves sharing the result of the Copenhagen Conference. In a programme organised here by the Eco Friends Nepal, an NGO working in the environment sector, Ugan Manandhar, climate change expert at World Wildlife Fund (WWF Nepal) and the negotiator in the government team said, "Without any hesitation, I can say that Copenhagen is a failure and most of the countries are disappointed after the main issues were sidelined."

The negotiators were also gloomed by the stand taken by Maldives and said they were shocked when Maldives supported the Copenhagen accord.

"There was too much of politics and it is very hard to predict what course will follow in future," said Batu Krishna Uprety, another negotiator.

In an another programme organised here by the Central Department Environmental Science ,Tribhuwan University, to collect the views of delegates on the Copenhagen meeting ,the speakers demanded for an improved tie with the University and the stakeholders on the scientific researches on climate change.

"We request the government to come up with an idea to work jointly with the University in the field of research on climate change," said Prof.Dr Madan Koirala, Assistant DEAN, Faculty of Science and Technology, TU.

Other speakers during the programme reacted angrily saying that the government had seriously undermined the role of the university in research.

"We are ready to conduct research and use our resources to obtain reliable data on climate change," said Kedar Rijal, Head of the Department, Central Department of Environmental Science.