The Nepal Weekly 
August 1, 2023
Dr. Maheswar Rupakheti, a Nepali scientist working in the field of atmospheric effects, consequences and remedies has been elected for the position of Working Group I Vice chair. The election was held during IPCC-59. The 59th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 59) was convened from 25-28 July 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Dr. Rupakheti has extensive experience in atmospheric/climate science research, particularly in the characterization of atmospheric aerosols and aerosol-climate interactions across different continents. I am also pleased to inform you that he has a proven track record in scientific research, capacity building in developing countries, establishing and maintaining collaboration networks among science, policy, and civil society communities, leadership, coordination, planning, organization, and teamwork in a multicultural/multinational environment. Dr. Rupakheti has also made valuable contributions to the IPCC TFI’s Methodology Report on SLCFs (2020-22) as an expert on emission inventories.
Dr. Rupakheti is a research group leader at the Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS), Potsdam, Germany. His group focuses on using disciplinary and transdisciplinary approach together with stakeholders for exploring and understanding extreme air pollution, including shortlived climate-forcers (SLCFs) in South Asia (a global hotspot), its impacts on climate, weather, and other systems, and identifying pathways to mitigate their impacts, especially in the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau Mountain regions with sensitive ecosystems of global importance. He has 26 years of experience in atmospheric/climate science research, notably in characterization of atmospheric aerosols and aerosolclimate interactions. He has published 73 papers in peer-reviewed journals, mainly on observations in the greater Himalayan region, a relatively poorly sampled region of the world, and contributed to 9 major global/regional assessment reports/books on air pollution and climate change, including on SLCFs.
He has proven track records in scientific research, capacity building in developing countries, building and maintaining collaboration networks of science, policy, and civil society communities, leadership, coordination, planning and organization, and teamwork in multi-cultural/multi-national environment. He has research and work experiences in Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa in collaboration with scientists and experts from these regions. Contributions to global/regional assessments on.
The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to “assess, in a comprehensive, objective, open, and transparent manner, the scientific, technical, and socio-economic information relevant to understanding human-induced climate change, its potential impacts, and adaptation and mitigation options.” The IPCC does not undertake new research or monitor climate-related data. Instead, it conducts assessments of the state of climate change knowledge based on published, peer reviewed scientific and technical literature. The Panel’s reports are intended to be policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. They provide key inputs into international climate change negotiations.
