[imagesource:wmo]

While Gwede is trying to turn the country into a coalmine, another (smarter) South African has been nominated to the panel trying to clean up the mess.

Veteran Durban climate change researcher Professor Debra Roberts has been named among four experts nominated to lead the world’s top scientific advisory panel.

Roberts established the first dedicated environment department for the City of eThekwini (Durban) in 1994 – has been formally endorsed by Cabinet as South Africa’s candidate to chair the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC is a panel of experts set up in 1988 to provide government policymakers with regular scientific assessments on the latest state of knowledge about climate change.

If Roberts manages to get elected, she will be the first woman, and first African to lead the panel. In its 34-year history, the body has only had four people have chaired the global science advisory panel: Bert Bolin (Sweden) Robert Watson (UK), Rajendra Pachauri (India), and the current chair, Hoesung Lee (South Korea).

President Ramaphosa has endorsed Roberts as chair, saying that she is a natural bridge builder, and is the perfect person to bring together the Northern and Southern Hemisphere in our united fight against climate change.

“Governments can expect her to help ensure a balanced, inclusive and comprehensive assessment of the science, which is equitably focused on the priorities of all countries.”

Roberts knows that her work is cut out for her, and hopes to speed up the sloth-like response by governments to our shared crisis.

“We’ve known about climate change since 1822, We have to be very clear that what we (society and governments) have done so far is inadequate.”

Here’s hoping this lady can become a voice of reason for South Africa and the world’s sake.

[source:dm]