GENEVA: The UN’s panel of climate scientists said today that it regretted that “poorly substantiated” estimates on the speed of disappearance of Himalayan glaciers were included in its last report.

However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stood by its overall conclusion on the accelerating melting of glaciers in major mountain ranges in Asia and Latin America throughout the 21st century, as well as its impact.

The IPCC said in a statement that a paragraph in its 938 page assessment in 2007 of climate change impacts “refers to poorly substantiated rates of recession and date for the disappearance of Himalayan glaciers.” “The Chair, Vice Chair and Co Chairs of the IPCC regret the poor application of well established procedures in this instance,” it added.

The section of the report said the probability of glaciers in the Himalayas “disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high.”

Scientist’s denial

NEW DELHI: An Indian scientist at the centre of a new climate science storm denied on Wednesday saying that Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035.

But Syed Hasnain did acknowledge making comments suggesting that many of the glaciers could disappear by the middle of this century. Hasnain said

the date was “a journalistic substitution” which had been made without his knowledge.