T

he UN has agreed to conduct an independent review of the world's top climate science panel in response to the ongoing controversy over several mistakes by the body in its fourth assessment report.

The move to review the Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was made following calls from several countries during the environment ministers' meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, last week.

The statement was issued Friday, the last day of the 11th Special Session of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)'s Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum.

"Ministers re-affirmed the central importance of the IPCC and the importance of sound science upon which to base a response to climate change," the statement said.

"However, as a result of recent criticism of the IPCC and some key errors in the body's fourth assessment report, several governments called for an independent review of the IPCC.

"Full details of the review and its scope will be announced next week with the report to be presented to the IPCC Plenary taking place in the Republic of Korea in October."

The report's conclusion, citing that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 - not 2350 - turned out to be wrong, allowing skeptics to raise doubts about climate science and accusations that fears of global warming were exaggerated.

The latest controversy has sparked criticism and even calls for the resignation of IPCC chief Rajendra Pachauri.

Pachauri himself attended the Bali meeting but left Thursday night after addressing delegates on climate science and the IPCC.

UNEP spokesman Nick Nuttall said Friday that an independent panel of scientists would be appointed to do review the IPCC.