World-renowned climate change expert, Professor John Schellnhuber CBE, Founding Director of Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Potsdam, is presenting this year’s 29th Macaulay Lecture.

Entitled ‘Planetary Co-Evolution: Where on Earth are we going?’ the Macaulay Institute’s flagship event takes place on Monday 14 November at 1400 at the Institute’s Craigiebuckler campus, Aberdeen.

In his lecture, Professor Schellnhuber will tell the story of the Earth through its past, present and future, emphasizing the danger associated with man’s rapidly decreasing wisdom-to-power ratio.

Speaking in advance of the lecture, Professor Schellnhuber said: “The history of our planet is essentially a tale of two entities, the earth, and the life it supports, as well as their interactions. Homo sapiens is radically and abruptly transforming the Earth to the extent that we now live in an era that is unlike any that has gone before, where natural global cycles have become strongly influenced – if not dominated – by the demands of our ever increasing industrialisation.”

Chief Executive of the Macaulay Institute, Professor Maggie Gill said: “We are delighted to have Professor Schellnhuber delivering this year’s Macaulay Lecture. With today’s concerns about the potential consequences of rapid climate change highlighting our dependence on the Earth as our life support system, there can be few scientists in a better position to critically review the relationship between humans and the planet we live on.”

The 29th Macaulay Lecture will be preceded by a school debate on the motion ‘This house will spend money to develop technologies that will cut greenhouse gas emissions in the future, rather than to cut emissions now”, which will also take place at the Macaulay’s Craigiebuckler Campus.

This debate is particularly relevant in light of the United States’ current strategy for managing climate change which it has devised as an alternative to the targets laid down in the Kyoto agreement. The US (as well as Australia, Japan, S Korea, India and China) say they will promote the development and transfer of clean energy technologies with each other. According to the White House this will cut pollution and address the long-term challenge of climate change.

Schools participating in the debate are Westhill Academy, Aberdeen Grammar, St Margaret’s School and Robert Gordon’s College. The debate winners will receive commemorative quaichs and the runners-up will be given potted trees.

Professor John Schellnhuber, CBE Tyndall Centre Research Director & Potsdam Institute

Born in 1950 in Ortenburg, Germany, John trained in physics and mathematics while on a scholarship at the University of Regensburg. After his theoretical physics doctorate in 1980, his research took him to a number of countries, including various stints at the University of California. In 1991 John became Founding Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and since 1993 he has been Director of PIK and Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Potsdam. In October 2002 he was appointed as Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, where he also holds the office of Tyndall Centre Research Director.

He has published more than 170 articles and 30 books on regional and global environmental analysis, coastal zone research, solid state physics and complex non-linear systems.

Amongst his many honours John is a holder of the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, and was recently awarded a CBE by the Queen for his contributions to climate change science and policy advice.

The Macaulay Institute – The Macaulay Institute is the premier land use research institute in the UK. Two hundred and seventy staff are based at the Macaulay Institute at Craigiebuckler in Aberdeen. The Macaulay Institute aims to be an international leader in research on the use of rural land resources for the benefit of people and the environment and is involved in research across the globe; from Scotland to Chile and China. More about the Macaulay Institute can be found at www.macaulay.ac.uk.

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