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Guest:Rajendra K. Pachauri, Ph.D. (The Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC))
Date:Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, a world famous expert on environmental and energy related issues and also the Chair of the IPCC, visited Miraikan to make a keynote speech for "The Second GEOSS Asia-Pacific Symposium: The role of Earth observations in tackling climate change" held at Miraikan. The IPCC won the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 along with the former vice-President of the USA, Al Gore.
(Note) GEOSS = Global Earth Observation System of Systems

After a discussion related to climate change with Director Mohri, he observed the "Geo-Cosmos" global warming simulation. As he viewed the spherical display, with its diameter of 6.5 m and 1 million LEDs attached to it, project images of the predicted changes in earth surface temperature from 1901 - 2100, he commented how he wished to have the same thing in India. Since it projects the true situation of the overall earth, he felt that it would provide an opportunity for the general public to see what will happen unless countermeasures are taken.

He kindly accepted the position of Honorary Member of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation and left his message in the form of questions to the visitors of the museum. A box plate with his message will be displayed at the Symbol Zone starting late June. Dr. Pachauri regretted that he did not have enough time to observe each exhibit and he promised to visit the museum again the next time he has the chance to visit Tokyo. In addition, he pointed out how important the contributions made by Japanese scientists were to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report. As he left the museum, he spoke with energy about the impact Japan's science and technology and its research will have on the world.