Sir John Houghton

We at Bangor University have been saddened to hear of the death of world-renowned climate scientist Sir John Houghton.

Sir John’s role was instrumental in establishing the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and he co-chaired the organisation's scientific assessment working group from 1988-2002.

His contribution was recognised in 2007 when the IPCC shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al Gore for their efforts to build and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change. As former Director General of the Met Office, Sir John had the foresight to establish the Hadley Centre in 1990, persuading the then Prime Minister of its need and importance. The Centre is now a global partner for climate science and services and often provides briefings to the government to summarise important areas of climate science. Sir John, a native of north Wales, was very supportive of the University, visiting on several occasions and taking part in a climate change debate at the University. He received an Honorary Fellowship from the University in 2003.

Many tributes have been paid to him since his death, including this, from the New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/23/climate/John-Houghton-dead-coronavirus.html