Climate expert named goodwill ambassador

Vienna -- Climate change expert Rajendra K. Pachauri has been named a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Industrial Development Organization in Vienna.

Pachauri, an economist and environmental scientist from India, heads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, the United Nations said in a release.

In a ceremony Monday, the U.N. Industrial Development Organization recognized Pachauri for his efforts in the field of energy and the environment, one of UNIDO's three top priorities. Its other two are building trade capacity and reducing poverty through productive activities.

Other UNIDO goodwill ambassadors include Mansour Cama of Senegal, Reinosuke Hara of Japan, Frederick Sumaye of Tanzania and Peter Denis Sutherland of Ireland.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.