By IANS
New Delhi : The 27th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is meeting in Spain to find ways to address the impact of climate change beyond the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
The fourth assessment report of the IPCC, to be released Saturday in Valencia, would provide data and insights that would enable countries to hammer out a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol, due to expire in 2012, contains legally binding targets for reducing emissions. The US has refused to be party to the protocol.
The IPCC, chaired by Indian scientist R.K. Pachauri, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year jointly with former US vice president Al Gore.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be in Valencia for the launch of the report.
Over the weekend, Ban became the first UN Secretary-General to make an official visit to Antarctica to see firsthand the effects of climate change on its melting glaciers.
“Antarctica is a natural lab that helps us understand what is happening to our world,” Ban said. “It is here where our work together comes into focus. We see Antarctica’s beauty — and the danger global warming represents, and the urgency that we do something about it.”