John T. Houghton

Sir John Theodore Houghton ( born December 30, 1931 in Dyserth ) is a British climatologist and influential Warner from global warming.

Life

Houghton grew up in Wales and studied at Oxford (Jesus College) with a bachelor's degree in 1951, the master's degree and doctorate in 1955. During the 1970s, he was a senior scientist at basic NASA space experiments ( Nimbus satellites) for remote sensing of the vertical distribution of temperature involved the atmosphere. 1976 to 1983 he was professor of atmospheric physics at Oxford University. 1979 to 1983 he was deputy director of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. 1983 to 1991 he was Director General of the UK Meteorological Office (Met Office ). He was the founder in 1990 of the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research.

1976 to 1978 he was president of the Royal Meteorological Society. It was from its foundation in 1988 to 2002, and co- manager ( since 1992) of the Science Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC ) and chief editor of the first three reports ( 1990, 1995, 2002). 1981 to 1984 he was Chairman of the Joint Scientific Committee of the World Climate Research Programme ( WCRP ).

Houghton is in Protestant circles active (Presbyterian Church ) and in this context, chairman of the John Ray Initiative, which wants to bring Christianity, science and environmental protection into harmony. He is a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion and President of the Victoria Institute.

1992 to 1998 he was chairman of the 1970 founded Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. 1994 to 2000 he was a member of the UK Government's Commission on Sustainable Development (UK Government Panel on Sustainable Development ). In this role he was also advisor to the British government on climate change issues.

Honors and Memberships

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales and CBE. In 1991 he was knighted. He is a member of the Academia Europaea. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the Optical Society of America.

Writings

• Physics of Atmospheres, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2002 ( first 1977)
• Global warming: the complete briefing, 3rd edition, Cambridge University Press, 2004 ( first 1994)
• With FW Taylor, CD Rodgers Remote sounding of atmospheres, Cambridge University Press 1984