The much-coveted award of Nobel Peace Prize 2007 was conferred to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), with six Filipino experts as members of the panel. The Philippine representatives include:

1. Dr. Felino P. Lansigan, Professor, UPLB Institute of Statistics and The School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) and a SEARCA Fellow;
2. Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, Professor and Dean, UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources;
3. Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, Associate Professor, UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources;
4. Dr. Rodel D. Lasco, Coordinator for Southeast Asia, World Agroforestry Center;
5. Dr. Rosa T. Perez, Retired Climatologist, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); and
6. Fr. Jett Villarin, President, Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City.

They are members of the IPCC Technical Working Group II, which assesses the impacts of climate change and presents adaptation and mitigation measures.

IPCC earned the award “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” Established in 1988, the IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through a resolution of the UN General Assembly.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of IPCC, proudly expressed that “the work of the IPCC has helped the world to learn more on all aspects of climate change, and the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has acknowledged this fact.” The IPCC has been unremitting in its bid to provide factual and objective assessments of scientific, technical, and socio-economic literatures that deals with climate change.

IPCC shares the award with an equally staunch environmental advocate, former US Vice President Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr., whose documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth” earned raves of interest and criticism on the alarming impacts of climate change.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded yearly to individuals and organizations who have “done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

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The Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Laguna adopted the IPCC Filipino experts as illustrious sons and daughter of the Province of Laguna by virtue of Resolution No. 364,  Series of 2008 dated September 10, 2008, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to environment. The resolution and the plaque of recognition were presented to the awardees on September 18, 2008 at the Laguna Provincial Training Center, Sta Cruz, Laguna.

For more details, go to: http://nobelprize.org/