Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has flown 443,243 miles in the last 19 months

In light of recent revelations of suppressed "inconvenient" climate data, manipulated computer climate models, and celebration of the death of a prominent global warming skeptic, from the East Anglia Climate Research Unit, it is reassuring that Mark Steyn has kept his satirical sword sharpened.  From his post Come Fry with Me at the Corner:

In order to save the planet from global roasting, it seems entirely reasonable to ask Mr. and Mrs. Joe Peasant to subordinate their freedom of movement to an annual "carbon allowance" preventing them flying hither and yon and devastating the environment. As Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, the chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, explains:

Hotel guests should have their electricity monitored; hefty aviation taxes should be introduced to deter people from flying; and iced water in restaurants should be curtailed, the world’s leading climate scientist has told the Observer.

Rajendra Pachauri? Hey, if you're manning the VIP lounge at Heathrow, that name may ring a bell:

Dr Rajendra Pachauri flew at least 443,243 miles on IPCC business in this 19 month period. This business included honorary degree ceremonies, a book launch and a Brookings Institute dinner, the latter involving a flight of 3500 miles.

Wow. 443,243 miles. How many flying polar bears does Dr. Pachauri kill in an average quarter? Well, not to worry, he probably offsets his record-breaking ursocide with carbon credits from carbon billionaire Al Gore.

The Wall Street Journal has more on the visionary Dr. Pachauri:

In the near future, he explains, car use will have to be "curbed," hotels and restaurants will stop serving ice water, and guests will have their energy use monitored. Heavy taxes will also have to discourage people from flying and force them to take the train. Last year, he called for sharp cutbacks in meat consumption because of the greenhouse emissions livestock are responsible for.

Mr. Pachauri says the key to realizing his ascetic vision is mobilizing young people, who "will be far more sensitive than adults, who have been corrupted by the ways we have been following for years now." Hmm, hundreds of emails showing scientists working together to distort their findings obviously isn't the kind of "corruption" Mr. Pachauri worries about. The real scandal is that burger and iced tea you're about to consume. (emphasis mine)

Well it appears that young people, have, indeed been mobilized, but probably not in the way Dr. Pachauri would like.  In an impressive opinion piece in The Tech, (from the website, "MIT's oldest and largest newspaper & the first newspaper published on the web") MIT graduate student, Matthew Davidson, discusses the leaked emails from the East Anglia Climate Research Institute with a healthy dose of outrage, and implores the scientific community to stand up and speak up against this global fraud:

These communications reveal a trail of manipulation and concealment of data that would not support the theory of anthropogenic global warming. This is shameful and cannot be ignored by the scientific community. This corruption must be investigated and the individuals responsible must be tried for any illegal acts committed.

This is especially important to us all ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Conference and the Senate vote on the cap and trade bill. The Copenhagen treaty and the cap and trade bill are both justified by science presented in the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, which included data from the scientists mentioned above. Until the extent of the corruption of data is known, we must resist these and other government actions that will have extreme economic consequences across the globe. If we sit by and allow lawmakers to pass and approve legislation based on falsified data and incorrect theories, we are all to blame for the needless negative effects that the new laws will have on our lives. [snip]

As we pay these higher prices and fees, the money will flow into government hands. Many lawmakers see climate legislation as a revenue goldmine, and they are very keen on passing this legislation and providing scientists with plenty of motivation (grants) for justifying the theory of anthropogenic global warming.

We must tell our elected representatives that we will not sit idly by while they pass legislation based on compromised data. We must tell them that MIT stands for honesty in science and that we demand a thorough investigation of this matter.

Spot on, Mr. Davidson.