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K-STATE PROFESSOR TO SERVE ON PRESTIGIOUS UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE PANEL
K-State's Chuck Rice, university distinguished professor of agronomy, has been selected again to join other leading international scientists as part of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Rice has been chosen to become one of just two lead authors from the U.S. for the chapter on agriculture in the panel's upcoming Fifth Assessment Report on Climate Change.

"This is a tremendous honor and responsibility," Rice said. "Being a lead author is a time-consuming task, but the stakes couldn't be higher. The discussions on climate change and policy debates are reaching a critical stage, and the outcome is crucial for agriculture. The best possible and most current scientific information is needed by policymakers worldwide as soon as possible."

The assessment report is expected to be released in 2014. Altogether, there will be 201 lead authors involved in writing the upcoming report. Only 29 are from the U.S., including Rice.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the leading body for the assessment of climate change and provides the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of climate change and its potential consequences. Thousands of scientists from around the world contribute to the work of the panel on a voluntary basis. The panel embodies a special opportunity to provide rigorous and balanced scientific information to decision-makers.