Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the recent statement by the UN Secretary General to seek an independent evaluation of the scientific work of the UN intergovernmental panel on climate change. [13338/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government welcomes Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's recent initiative to ask the InterAcademy Council to conduct an independent review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) processes and procedures. It is important that the occurrence of a small number of inaccuracies be reviewed and placed in context, and not allowed to obscure the wider picture of the contribution of man-made emissions to climate change.

The IPCC has made a hugely significant contribution to our understanding of the impacts of climate change on the earth and its ecosystems. Apart from the recently reported issues in relation to its work, climate change science is evolving all the time and it is appropriate that the review be conducted to ensure that the IPCC can continue to provide the scientific advice necessary to underpin the international agenda under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

At a meeting of EU Environment Ministers on 15 March 2010, the Council adopted the following conclusions, which Ireland fully supports:

EMPHASISES its continued full support to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in deepening our understanding of climate change through its robust and solid scientific assessments of climate change; TAKES NOTE of the fact that a limited number of inaccuracies have been reported; IS CONVINCED that the IPCC offers the most authoritative and comprehensive assessment process on the existing science of climate change; in this context, WELCOMES the initiatives to review the internal IPCC procedures for its future work.