Climate study loses credibility

NEW DELHI: Mckinsey���s low carbon growth study on India has run into more controversy with three of the four eminent members of the ���academic review panel��� cited by the firm distancing themselves from the report.

The jolt comes after government officials criticised the consulting firm for not disclosing the data used for the report that hints India should take greenhouse gas emission reductions even at the cost of paying for the solutions from its own pocket or depending on the market for funds. It has also been critiqued for underestimating these costs and making unreasonable assumptions.

TOI had reported about the yet-to-be-released study on the basis of a presentation Mckinsey had made to a select group of people. The presentation prominently mentioned Dilip Ahuja of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Ambuj Sagar of IIT, Delhi; Jayant Sathaye of University of California, Berkeley, and TERI as its ���academic review panel���.

All three scientists are recognised globally for their work on climate change and TERI is one of the foremost environmental think tanks in India, headed by R K Pachauri. But two of the three scientists and TERI officials told TOI that they had not endorsed the report. The fourth, Dilip Ahuja of IISc, could not be contacted.

���I have not seen the final report or the presentation and I don���t endorse its findings,��� said Ambuj Sagar. ���I was not asked to review the preliminary results of the report or the presentation and these were not shared with me,��� said Sathaye. Like the two, Ritu Mathur of TERI said, ���We were asked for feedback during preparation of the study and we provided academic advice that may or may not have been used by the company. But we have not seen the final report or the presentation on which we are referred to as members of academic review panel.��� Mckinsey refused to comment on the issue.