Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen

Last updated

Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen
Born1942 (age 8182)
Dresden, Germany
NationalityGerman
CitizenshipGerman, Australian, British
Alma mater Adelaide University, University of Sussex
Scientific career
Fields Environmental Policy, Geography
Institutions University of Sussex, University of Hull
Thesis Limits to the international control of marine pollution  (1981)

Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen (born 1942) is an Emeritus Reader in the Department of Geography at the University of Hull in Kingston upon Hull England, where she taught environmental policy, management and politics. [1] [2] [3] [4] She was editor of the journal Energy & Environment from 1998 to 2017. [5] [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen was born in Dresden, East Germany. [2] [5] In 1956, she moved to Adelaide, South Australia, where she obtained a BA with Honours in Geomorphology from Adelaide University while also studying climatology, geology, physical geography and German literature. [5] [7] [8] [9] She moved again to England in 1969 and later attended the University of Sussex where she first obtained an MA followed by a DPhil in International Relations in 1981. [2] [7] [10] Her doctoral thesis was titled, Limits to the international control of marine pollution. [11]

Career

Boehmer-Christiansen joined the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex in 1985, working for a decade as a Research Fellow and then later as a visiting fellow. [2] [8] [12] Since the mid-1990s she had taught environmental policy, management and politics in the Geography Department at the University of Hull. [3] [9] As an Emeritus Reader she still works from the University of Hull's Geography Department. [1] [8]

She is a past member of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future. [2] [13]

Views on climate change

When asked about the publication in the Spring of 2003 of a revised version of the paper at the center of the Soon and Baliunas controversy, Boehmer-Christiansen said, "I'm following my political agenda -- a bit, anyway. But isn't that the right of the editor?" [14]

Boehmer-Christiansen has been a critic of climate models saying they are based on data that cannot be verified. [15] In 2006, she signed an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper urging him to open the Kyoto Protocol to debate by holding balanced, comprehensive public-consultation sessions on the Canadian government's climate change plans. [16]

She describes herself as agnostic on whether humans are causing global warming, and believes its negative aspects to be politically exaggerated. [17]

Third-party views

According to Fred Pearce, Boehmer-Christiansen is a sceptic about acid rain and global warming and calls the science reports produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "political constructs." [18]

The Guardian reported that Boehmer-Christiansen published – against the recommendations of a reviewer – a paper in Energy & Environment claiming that the Sun is made of iron. [19] [20]

Selected publications

Books
Journal articles

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyoto Protocol</span> 1997 international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The Kyoto Protocol (Japanese: 京都議定書, Hepburn: Kyōto Giteisho) was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that global warming is occurring and that human-made CO2 emissions are driving it. The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. There were 192 parties (Canada withdrew from the protocol, effective December 2012) to the Protocol in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Environment Programme</span> Agency of the United Nations focused on solving environmental issues

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972. Its mandate is to provide leadership, deliver science and develop solutions on a wide range of issues, including climate change, the management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and green economic development. The organization also develops international environmental agreements; publishes and promotes environmental science and helps national governments achieve environmental targets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental protection</span> Practice of protecting the natural environment

Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, groups and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where it is possible, to repair damage and reverse trends.

Eco-capitalism, also known as environmental capitalism or (sometimes) green capitalism, is the view that capital exists in nature as "natural capital" on which all wealth depends. Therefore, governments should use market-based policy-instruments to resolve environmental problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human impact on the environment</span> Impact of human life on Earth and environment

Human impact on the environment refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to fit the needs of society is causing severe effects including global warming, environmental degradation, mass extinction and biodiversity loss, ecological crisis, and ecological collapse. Some human activities that cause damage to the environment on a global scale include population growth, neoliberal economic policies and rapid economic growth, overconsumption, overexploitation, pollution, and deforestation. Some of the problems, including global warming and biodiversity loss, have been proposed as representing catastrophic risks to the survival of the human species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis</span> International research organization in Austria

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an independent international research institute located in Laxenburg, near Vienna in Austria, founded as an East-West scientific cooperation initiative during the Cold War. Through its research programs and initiatives, the institute conducts policy-oriented interdisciplinary research into issues too large or complex to be solved by a single country or academic discipline. These include climate change, energy security, population aging, and sustainable development. The results of IIASA research and the expertise of its researchers are made available to policymakers worldwide to help them make informed and evidence-based policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polluter pays principle</span> Principle in environmental law

In environmental law, the polluter pays principle is enacted to make the party responsible for producing pollution responsible for paying for the damage done to the natural environment. This principle has also been used to put the costs of pollution prevention on the polluter. It is regarded as a regional custom because of the strong support it has received in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union countries, and has a strong scientific basis in economics. It is a fundamental principle in US environmental law.

Energy & Environment is an academic journal "covering the direct and indirect environmental impacts of energy acquisition, transport, production and use". Under its editor-in-chief from 1998 to 2017, Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen, it was known for easygoing peer-review and publishing climate change denial papers. Yiu Fai Tsang became its editor-in-chief in May 2017.

The New Zealand Climate Science Coalition was a anthropogenic climate change denial organisation in New Zealand, formed in 2006 with aim of "refuting what it believes were unfounded claims about anthropogenic global warming". The Coalition came to prominence in 2010 when it challenged the methodology and accuracy of NIWA's historical temperature records in court. The Coalition lost the case, could not afford to pay costs awarded against it and was forced into liquidation. There is an unrelated website called the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition which is an American blog also written by climate change deniers. The American website links to a different URL to the original URL associated with the New Zealand website which no longer exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Policy Research Unit</span> Public school in Brighton, United Kingdom

Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) is a research centre based at University of Sussex in Falmer, near Brighton, UK. It focuses on long term transformative change, science policy and innovation across different sectors, societies and structures. It was one of the first interdisciplinary research centres in the field of science and technology policy and at the forefront of the development of innovation as an academic discipline. Alongside internationally renowned research, SPRU also offers a range of MSc courses, as well as PhD research degrees.

The Asia-Pacific Emissions Trading Forum (AETF) was an information service and business network dealing with domestic and international developments in emissions trading policy in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The AETF was originally called the Australasian Emissions Trading Forum, and was founded in 1998 under the auspices of the Sydney Futures Exchange following a proposal from Beck Consulting Services. From 2001 until 2011 the AETF published the AETF Review, held regular member meetings and convened numerous events and conferences. The AETF Review was published six times per year and included original articles on emissions trading developments and related topics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues</span> Concerns and policies regarding the biophysical environment

Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recover in the present situation, and catastrophic if the ecosystem is projected to certainly collapse.

This page lists the issues that the United Kingdom currently has that are related to the environment, such as pollution and contamination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water resource policy</span>

Water resource policy, sometimes called water resource management or water management, encompasses the policy-making processes and legislation that affect the collection, preparation, use, disposal, and protection of water resources. The long-term viability of water supply systems poses a significant challenge as a result of water resource depletion, climate change, and population expansion.

Ocean governance is the conduct of the policy, actions and affairs regarding the world's oceans. Within governance, it incorporates the influence of non-state actors, i.e. stakeholders, NGOs and so forth, therefore the state is not the only acting power in policy making. However, ocean governance is complex because much of the ocean is a commons that is not ‘owned’ by any single person or nation/state. There is a belief more strongly in the US than other countries that the “invisible hand” is the best method to determine ocean governance factors. These include factors such as what resources we consume, what price we should pay for them, and how we should use them. The underlying reasoning behind this is the market has to have the desire in order to promote environmental protection, however this is rarely the case. This term is referred to as a market failure. Market failures and government failures are the leading causes of ocean governance complications. As a result, humankind has tended to overexploit marine resources, by treating them as shared resources while not taking equal and collective responsibilities in caring for them.

Ozone depletion and climate change, or Ozone hole global warming in more popular terms, are environmental challenges whose connections have been explored and which have been compared and contrasted, for example in terms of global regulation, in various studies and books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in climate change</span> Climate change activists

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Skea</span> British academic

James "Jim" Ferguson Skea CBE FRSE sk-EE is a British academic. He is currently Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for its seventh assessment cycle, and a Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London. Before being elected as Chair, Skea was Co-Chair of Working Group III of the IPCC. He was a founding member of the UK Government's Committee on Climate Change and currently chairs Scotland's Just Transition Commission. He was a co-author of the IPCC 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C. In July 2023, Skea was elected as Chair the IPCC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human impact on marine life</span>

Human activities affect marine life and marine habitats through overfishing, habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, ocean pollution, ocean acidification and ocean warming. These impact marine ecosystems and food webs and may result in consequences as yet unrecognised for the biodiversity and continuation of marine life forms.

References

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  6. "Editorial". Energy & Environment. 28 (5–6): 543. 15 September 2017. doi: 10.1177/0958305X17733089 .
  7. 1 2 Boehmer-Christiansen, Sonja (January 1982). "The scientific basis of marine pollution control". Marine Policy . 6 (1): 2–10. doi:10.1016/0308-597X(82)90038-0.
  8. 1 2 3 Boehmer-Christiansen, Sonja (February 2010). "Memorandum submitted by Dr Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen (CRU 26)". UK Parliament . Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  9. 1 2 "The disclosure of climate data from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia" (PDF). House of Commons. 24 March 2010. p. 124. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  10. Boehmer-Christiansen, Sonja A. (1990). "Emerging international principles of environmental protection and their impact on Britain". The Environmentalist. 10 (2): 95. doi:10.1007/bf02244387. S2CID   153996433.
  11. Boehmer-Christiansen, S.A. (1981). "Limits to the international control of marine pollution". University of Sussex. OCLC   53601092.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. "SPRU Annual Report – SPRU Staff: Associate Staff – Visiting Fellows and Professors" (PDF). University of Sussex. 1998. p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  13. "Stakeholder Forum – Annual Report 2001–2002" (PDF). Stakeholder Forum. 2002. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  14. Monastersky, Richard (5 September 2003). "Storm Brews Over Global Warming". Chronicle of Higher Education .
  15. "Tuvalu's tides divide scientists". The Age . 25 August 2004. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  16. "Open Kyoto to debate – An open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper". National Post . 11 April 2006. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  17. "Conversations From the Frotier with Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen, Geomorphologist". Frontier Centre for Public Policy. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
  18. Pearce, Fred, The Climate Files: The Battle for the Truth about Global Warming, (2010) Guardian Books, ISBN   978-0-85265-229-9, p. XIV.
  19. Barley, Shanta (25 February 2011). "Real Climate faces libel suit". The Guardian .
  20. Manuel, Oliver K. (2009). "Earth's Heat Source – The Sun". Energy & Environment . 20 (1–2): 131–144. arXiv: 0905.0704 . doi:10.1260/095830509787689178. S2CID   119304686. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013.