Will Steffen

2023 - 1 - 31

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Image courtesy of "The RiotACT"

Tributes flow for world-leading climate scientist Will Steffen | Riotact (The RiotACT)

Professor Steffen encountered significant opposition from climate change deniers and, in 2010, received what the ANU described at the time as credible threats ...

He was an inaugural member of the Federal Government’s Climate Commission before its abolition and executive director of the ANU’s Climate Change Institute. His work on climate was motivated by a desire to make science accessible and understandable and to link it clearly with policy. “We were privileged to work alongside him as he fearlessly carried the beacon of climate science light during some dark political times.

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Image courtesy of "The Sydney Morning Herald"

'Driving force': Tributes flow for giant of Australian climate science (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Climate scientist Professor Will Steffen, who died at the age of 76, has been remembered as a leader of his field, communicator and mentor, whose work paved ...

Professor Frank Jotzo, director of the Centre for Climate Economics and Policy at the ANU, said he was relatively early in his academic career when he crossed paths with Steffen. He was also a former executive director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the inaugural director of the ANU Climate Change Institute and a science adviser to the Australian government. We are devastated that he is gone, but determined that his legacy will live on every day in our work,” she said. “He was the most intelligent, kindest, most gentle person,” Flannery said. “He marked the path for today. But for many, he was also a friend and mentor.

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Image courtesy of "RenewEconomy"

Vale Will Steffen: Australia mourns loss of a true “climate warrior” (RenewEconomy)

"A giant of climate science:" Tributes flow for ANU Emeritus Professor Will Steffen, who died in Canberra on Monday.

Around the world and in Australia, many are mourning the loss of a valued and loved colleague.” This amazing man spent his career trying to wake us up to the planetary crisis we are facing. Please watch, share and join the fight to force political action. “We’ve lost a truly leading thinker on climate change, someone who made a difference in how the world understands it. “We will always remember his bravery, his optimism, his kindness, his energy and his determination,” the Climate Council said. In Australia, Steffen was the inaugural Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute from 2008-2012 and from 2004 to 2011 served as science adviser to the Australian government department of climate change.

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Image courtesy of "Surprise Sports"

Will Steffen Death And Obituary: How Did American Chemist Died? (Surprise Sports)

Up to its dissolution in September 2013, he served as the Executive director of the Australian National University (ANU) Climate Change Institute and a member ...

He received an MSc in 1972 from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. In 1970, Steffen graduated from the University of Missouri with a BSc in Industrial Chemistry. Obituary Funeral posted an Obituary stating the professor passed away on January 29, 2023. However, His cause of death is unknown at this time. Steffen was a founding member of the Climate Council and frequently collaborated on publications and media appearances on climate change and renewable energy topics. Up to its dissolution in September 2013, he served as the Executive director of the Australian National University (ANU) Climate Change Institute and a member of the Australian Climate Commission.

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Image courtesy of "Climate Council"

Vale Will Steffen | Climate Council (Climate Council)

Professor Will Steffen was a brilliant scientist, gifted communicator, brave climate warrior and kind and generous to a fault.

Will has made an indelible contribution to ensuring that the world understands the severity of the climate crisis and our capacity to tackle it. He was a founding member of the ACT Climate Change Council and helped to transform the city into a leader on climate action. No matter how uncomfortable or confronting, Will was always willing to speak the truth about the scale and urgency of the climate crisis. Will authored, reviewed and publicly launched numerous publications that clearly explained to the public the risks and dangers of climate change. He knew that he needed to take the science out of the lab and ensure that the general public and policymakers understood it. He was a leader of major international science programs, a highly-respected colleague and also a mentor to many around the world.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Will Steffen, 'courageous' climate scientist, dies in Canberra aged 75 (The Guardian)

Steffen remembered as a 'truly leading thinker' and someone who influenced scientific agenda and governments worldwide.

These people have no right to destroy my daughter’s future and that of her generation.” He brought the world to me.” We are devastated that he is gone, but determined that his legacy will live on every day in our work.” He helped to build the Climate Council, like many other institutions, from the ground up. He was a pivotal figure and leader in coordinating international research collaborations. There is no better friend and colleague for humanity and a livable planet.”

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Image courtesy of "The Fifth Estate"

Respected climate scientist Will Steffen dead at 76 (The Fifth Estate)

Respected climate scientist Will Steffen, Climate Commissioner and co-director of the Canberra Urban and Regional Futures initiative, passed away on Tuesday ...

He was also an author of the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2018. Steffen’s contributions to the scientific community and his advocacy for the environment will not be forgotten. I’m shocked and devastated to hear that the brilliant climate scientist Will Steffen has died. And a gentle, positive human being. After the abolition of the Australian Climate Commission in 2013, Steffen was a founding member of the independent non-profit organisation the Climate Council. He was executive director of the Australian National University Climate Change Institute and one of the founding Climate Councillors of the Climate Council.

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Image courtesy of "ABC News"

'One of Australia's most influential and respected climate scientists ... (ABC News)

Colleagues and friends remember prominent Australian scientist Professor Will Steffen as a courageous pioneer for climate action.

"Will was instrumental in alerting the Australian public to the challenges of climate change and the need for strong and rapid emission reductions, particularly through his work with the Climate Council," he said. Professor Steffen also made substantial contributions to science policy, serving as an adviser to the Australian government's Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Climate Commission, and Climate Council. The Australian National University (ANU) remembered its emeritus professor as "one of Australia's most influential and respected climate scientists".

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Image courtesy of "The Conversation AU"

We've lost a giant: Vale Professor Will Steffen, climate science pioneer (The Conversation AU)

Mountaineer and scientist Will Steffen said climbing was similar to science: “That's the buzz you get in science when you solve a big problem and suddenly ...

His ideas were grounded in his view of the Earth as a complex, interconnected, evolving system. He was an incredible public speaker and a role model for how a scientific specialist could broaden themselves into a holistic thinker on the most important topics imaginable. He had a wry sense of humour and could see the funny side, even when the climate politics were crazy. He understood the environmental problems we were trying to solve spanned many academic disciplines and were deeply interconnected. Instead they crowd-sourced A$1 million in a week and founded the Climate Council, now a leading independent source of climate advice in Australia. I came from England to Canberra in the 1970s, and Will came from the US. He was looking forward with optimism to an operation to get rid of the cancer he had dealt with for a year so he could get on with his life. Beginning when fax machines were the main tool to communicate across multiple time zones, Will developed unparalleled skill in scientific diplomacy and leadership. During the decade of political climate wars in Australia, Will got a lot of abuse on social media. To get up a hard rock or ice climb, just like when you’re solving a problem in the carbon cycle, you have to be ultra-focused, you have to make holistic decisions and you have to be absolutely aware of your surroundings. That’s the buzz you get in science when you solve a big problem and suddenly see how it all fits together. He helped popularise the idea that our collective activity is now a force as potent as natural forces in shaping our planet.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Will Steffen, pioneering scientist who fought climate denialism, dies ... (The Washington Post)

The scientist had advocated for official recognition of the Anthropocene epoch and warned of a "Hothouse Earth" of devastating, unstoppable climate change.

A skilled rock and ice climber, Dr. (A court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, but the decision was overturned on appeal.) Steffen championed the cause of young climate activists, providing expert testimony in a number of court cases. In 2021, he provided evidence to a class-action lawsuit that attempted to force Australia’s environment minister to acknowledge a duty of care to young people in considering approving an expansion of a coal mine. “Well over 90 percent of scientists in the area are quite clear: the Earth is warming and human activity is the major cause.” [turbulent period of Australian political history](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704684604575381281674517158), substantially stemming from how the country should respond to climate change. Steffen studied chemistry at the University of Missouri and received a PhD from the University of Florida in 1975, before moving to Australia to be a postdoctoral student at Australian National University in Canberra. Their research became the basis for a [Netflix documentary](https://www.netflix.com/nz/title/81336476) narrated by David Attenborough that examined Earth’s biodiversity collapse. His father was a Lutheran minister and his mother a homemaker. [chain of self-supporting feedback loops ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/08/10/hothouse-earth-heres-what-the-science-actually-does-and-doesnt-say/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9)could begin causing significant warming and a major rise in sea levels. (Anthropocene is derived from Greek and means the “recent age of man.”) Dr.

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