Scientist Winston Chow first Singaporean to be elected to UN's top climate body

SINGAPORE: Associate Professor Winston Chow has been elected co-chair of the bureau of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations' top climate science body.

A Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow at the Singapore Management University, Assoc Prof Chow had previously served as a lead author for the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.

His nomination was one of 17 for the role of co-chair. Following his successful election, he will work with Professor Bart van den Hurk of the Netherlands as fellow co-chairs.

According to the IPCC's website, the 34-member IPCC Bureau provides guidance to the panel on scientific and technical aspects of its assessments, in addition to giving advice on management and strategic issues.

Assoc Prof Chow, who specialises in urban climate, will head the Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.

The Working Group II assesses the "vulnerability of socio-economic and natural systems to climate change, negative and positive consequences of climate change and options for adapting to it", according to the IPCC.

In a congratulatory message on Facebook on Thursday (Jul 27), Sustainability and the Environment Minister Grace Fu said Assoc Prof Chow will also work closely with newly-elected IPCC chair Jim Skea, a professor of sustainable energy at Imperial College London, in "shaping the work" of the report.

She noted that Singapore will take reference from the report's findings to refine the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a programme that advances the national agenda on sustainable development. 

"Assoc Prof Chow will contribute towards a better understanding of the impact of climate change, and the continued development of resilient climate adaptation solutions," said Ms Fu.

"With his experience, I am confident that he will serve the IPCC well."