IPCC First Assessment - What we can learn from a 30 year old report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988. It produced its First Assessment Report (FAR) in 1990. 3 decades later, much remains to be learnt from this superannuated report. To remind the reader, in the last 30 years we got computers, mobile phones, internet, smartphones and smart TVs. India saw 6 different Prime Ministers and 7 different Presidents in this time span. There were 8 ICC World Cups; India defeated Sri Lanka to win one of these. 1990 was 4 years before Andaz Apna Apna; in fact, it was the year when Sri Devi got an award for Chaalbaaz . Titanic was still 7 years away; The Matrix, 9. You may also look towards your own life to remember what the last 30 years meant, but I believe the point is quite clear -- 1990 was a long, long time ago. In this 3-part series (one for each Working Group), I take a very cursory look at the First Assessment Report (FAR). The aim is not to delve into technical details, for which I hope you will explore the orig...