2024 Rachel Carson Distinguished Lecture by Claire Parkinson

Claire Parkinson delivered lecture "From Environmental Progress to Climate Change Challenges" as one of the 2024 Rachel Carson Distinguished Anniversary Lecture Series on Mar 19.

Abstract: Major pollution episodes in the mid-twentieth century, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962, and Apollo astronaut photographs of the Earth isolated against the darkness of outer space all contributed to an energetic environmental movement and regulatory actions around the world that have served to limit further environmental damage, although certainly not eliminating it. In recent decades, many predictions have forewarned of major upcoming damage from climate changes caused at least in part by human activities. However, efforts to substantially slow the human-caused climate changes have been largely unsuccessful, despite strong support for action by “mainstream” scientists. As a member of the mainstream who recognizes as valid many points made by scientists outside the mainstream, the speaker will attempt to present a balanced picture of some of the issues surrounding climate change and will offer suggestions of how to relay concerns about climate change more effectively.

Claire Parkinson is a leading climate scientist who has examined the Earth’s climate system through computer modeling and especially satellite remote sensing, with a particular emphasis on Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. She has written books on satellite imagery of the Earth, climate change, and the history of science, has cowritten books on Arctic sea ice, Antarctic sea ice, and climate modeling, and has coedited a data products handbook and a book on Our Changing Planet: The View From Space. She has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wellesley College and a PhD in geography/climatology from Ohio State University and has worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center since July 1978 (as an employee through December 2022 and an Emeritus volunteer thereafter). She is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.