Pachauri's
Opaque Moonlighting Critiqued by Figueres, of 2 Costa Ricans and the
Alba
Group, UNFCCC
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March 22 -- The embattled chairman of the Inter-governmental
Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri, refuses to disclose how
much money he makes from his simultaneousconsultancies with Deutsche
Bank, Credit Suisse and other institutions. Now, a candidate to head
the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres
of Costa Rica, has announced she would cease all outside consulting
if given the "full time and a half" post.
Inner
City Press
asked Ms. Figueres on Monday for her view of Pachauri's side business
and other IPCC matters. "That would not be my choice," Ms.
Figueres said, of Pachauri's side work for business. She also said
diplomatically that "Doctor Pachauri I believe is at freedom to
allocate his time as he sees fit." Video here,
from Minute
27:18.
But
shouldn't
Pachauri at least be required to formally disclose who he works for
on the side, and how much he gets paid? He has resisted even this.
Inner City
Press asked Ban Ki-moon and his spokesman for the UN view
on this lack of transparency. The answer was that the IPCC is not a
UN body, and that Pachauri would answer the questions himself. But
when he came to the UN, seeking to use Ban Ki-moon as a prop and
character witness, neither
took any questions from the press.
Ms.
Figueres, the
daughter of a former Costa Rican president, is viewed as a serious
contender to replace Yvo de Boer, who is moving to KPMG (some are
calling it cashing in). Inner City Press asked her if the recent
appointment of another Costa Rican, Rebecca Grynspan, to the number
two post at the UN Development Program might make it less likely she
will get this job.
At UN, climate speakers Sept. 09,
Costa Rica's president there, gender balance not shown
"It
may be a
stretch," Ms. Figueres agreed, that a country of four million
people could get two high posts. India's candidate is said to also
have the support of China.
Inner
City Press
asked Ms. Figueres about the opposition to the Copenhagen process by
the five Latin American countries in the Alba Group. Surprisingly to
some, Ms. Figueres responded that the Alba Group was "correct in
the moment," that all now agree with them. An Alba Group-er
afterwards said skeptically to Inner City Press, "Costa Rica
never gets along with the Alba Group." Hey -- climate change
bring everyone together...
* * *
At
UN, Ban and Pachauri Take No Questions on IPCC and Outside Income,
Transparency Charade
By
Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, March 10 -- Seeking to dampen controversies about the Inter
governmental Panel on Climate Change's use of NGO press releases as
science and about IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri's outside income from
sources like Deutsche Bank, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and
Pachauri "encountered" the Press on Wednesday.
It
was a one way
encounter. Each man made a statement, each praising the other and the
IPCC -- and then they left the stakeout, taking not a single
question. Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe was left telling reporters,
no questions, no questions. Video here.
The
UN press corps
was essentially used as a prop or as extras, to make it appear to
viewers not paying attention that this was a legitimate press
conference or Q&A. In fact, as put by one climate change
activist, this was mere propaganda, like "something out of North
Korea."
Or
perhaps Tiger
Woods is the more apt analogy, given the "racy" novel
recently published by Mr. Pachauri, another correspondent noted, in
which an aging Indian scientist flies around the world bedding young
followers.
Back
on December 21, Inner City Press
asked
Ban about Pachauri's presumptive financial
conflicts of interest and failure to disclose, but Mr. Ban did not
answer the question.
UN's Ban and Pachauri at photo op, no questions allowed
Later, Ban's
spokesman Martin Nesirky said that
Ban did not have to respond to the controversies surrounding the
IPCC, and that Pachauri would answer questions himself.
On
Wednesday,
Pachauri did not allow or answer any questions, and neither did Ban
Ki-moon. What was first advertised as a sit down press conference at
12:30 was converted into a stand up stakeout from which the two men
left immediately after speaking. So much for transparency. Watch this
site.
Footnote: while
refusing to take or answer questions in supposed press encounters, the
UN is holding two separate events for journalists in the next five
days. Inner City Press will not be present at the first, but may report
on the second, unless questions are taken and answered before then.
Watch this site.
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