Climate Science Meets Politics (Inverness)

SPEAKER | David Warrilow OBE, FRMetS, President of the Royal Meteorological Society

ABSTRACT | Any science that has societal relevance soon finds that it must engage with a very different world, where opinion and conviction may count for more than evidence. I will review how the obscure (to most people) subject of climate science became centre stage in an increasingly fractious debate on the environment, development and wealth. I will look at the how science has fed in to the policy process, has become the battleground between environmentalists and free marketeers and the complexities and importance of science in the development of a global response to climate change. Finally, I will look at the challenges facing scientists as they seek to bring objectivity to the debate.

BIOGRAPHY | David Warrilow was a senior government science advisor and international negotiator on climate change and environmental issues, such as ozone depletion and air pollution. He led the UK delegations to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for over 20 years and was a lead negotiator for the EU on the scientific issues covered in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). He managed a significant research programme at the Department of Energy and Climate Change providing underpinning scientific evidence and analysis of climate change, energy and ozone depletion in support of the UK’s domestic and international policies.
Prior to this he undertook research at the Met Office on the development of observing systems, hydrometeorology and flood design, and climate modelling of land surface processes.

Since retiring from the civil service in January 2016 David has undertaken several speaking engagements on the scientific background to the Paris Climate Agreement and on the use of science to support policy. He was appointed President of the Royal Meteorological Society in October 2018.