Press release

Nobel Peace Prize Award 2007

December 6, 2007

IISD congratulates James Bruce

The Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony will be held on December 10th, 2007 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway. December 10th is the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.

Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize will be former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Dr. R.K. Pachauri. The Nobel Lectures in Peace will be given that day. A live broadcast will be available at http://nobelprize.org/

The International Institute for Sustainable Development is proud to congratulate the IPCC and their excellent work in the area of climate change. In addition to the large number of our board members, staff, associates and fellows of our Institute who have contributed to the IPCC's work over the years, the Institute would especially like to congratulate James P. Bruce, IISD Board Member from 1997-2004, who will be attending the ceremony as a special guest.

During the 1980s he was Acting Deputy Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, with his work involving oversight of international programs on weather, climate, water, and atmospheric composition. When the Executive Council of the WMO decided that there was a need to establish an international organization to review global climate change research it fell to Mr. Bruce to arrange the first ever meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in November of 1988. "It was a relatively small but powerful group that met in the basement room of the Geneva Convention Centre," said Mr. Bruce. "Now you'd need to rent a large hall to have an IPCC meeting," he added with a laugh.

Mr. Bruce is the former co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group on Economics and Social Dimensions. He has continued to work for the IPCC including in its most recent assessments. But he stresses that he is only one of a number of prominent Canadian researchers that have worked for the organization over the years. "There were several Canadians involved in the very early days of the IPCC. It's very nice to be asked to go [to Oslo] but I'm representing 30-40 Canadians that played a major role."

About IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 250 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.