Phoebe Barnard

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Phoebe Elizabeth Barnard (born June 10, 1961) is an American global change scientist and professor of conservation biology and environmental futures at the University of Washington. [1] Barnard has written more than 180 publications on the vulnerability of biodiversity and ecosystems to climate and land use change. [2] She is a member of several global initiatives including the Club of Rome's Planetary Emergency Partnership, [3] one of five core co-authors of the 2020 paper World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency, [4] lead author of the action-focused 2021 World Scientists' Warnings into Action: Local to Global, [5] second of 11 co-authors of the 2023 World Scientists' Warning: the Behavioural Crisis Driving Ecological Overshoot, [6] a provocative collaboration of scientists, educators and global marketing strategists, and major co-author of Earth at Risk: an Urgent Call to End the Age of Destruction and Forge a Just and Sustainable Future. [7]

Contents

Impatient with warnings, Barnard has focused on bold global actions. In 2021, she co-founded and led the Stable Planet Alliance, a global coalition of organizations working to reduce ecological overshoot. [8] In 2022, she and John D. Liu started the Global Restoration Collaborative, a global coalition of organizations working to restore ecosystems, climate and biodiversity while upskilling youth and women leaders, [9] now being integrated into the 'Green Up to Cool Down' campaign [10] of the Global Evergreening Alliance [11] , the world's largest implementation alliance focused on community-led land restoration.

Barnard and John Bowey [12] are co-producing a global documentary series exploring the fast-changing world of climate and ecosystem restoration solutions, called The Climate Restorers: Back to Our Future. [13]

Education

Barnard fled a large public high school for the small and creative Bancroft School and graduated with highest honors in 1979. Moving to the maritime provinces of Canada, Barnard graduated in 1983 with a BSc (Hons) in biology from Acadia University with minors in geology and education, specializing in ornithology and ecology. She then earned MSc and PhD degrees in environmental sciences, especially behavioral ecology and evolution, from University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa (1990, with distinction) and Uppsala University in Sweden (1994), the latter working under the prolific and cross-pollinating evolutionary ecologist Anders Pape Møller. [14]

Career

Barnard founded and led the Government of Namibia’s first national biodiversity program. [1] She led a collaborative study of biological diversity of Namibia. [15] She also led the development and publication of Namibia's first national biodiversity strategy and action plan for the years 2001–2010. [16]

Barnard was on the board and executive committee shaping the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which evaluated the status and trends of Earth's ecosystems and their capacity to support human health, well-being and economic activities. [17]

From 2005 to 2016, she worked as a principal and then lead scientist at the South African National Biodiversity Institute on climate change bioadaptation and biodiversity futures. [18]

During this time, she co-led an international research team on species’ vulnerability to past, present and future climates. [19] She also coordinated the development of a biodiversity early warning system and policy applications for South Africa. [20]

In 2016, Barnard was a participant in a leadership expedition to Antarctica with the global STEM women's leadership program Homeward Bound. [21] She is a member of its Busara Circle [22] of 11 distinguished elder women mentors for the program.

Moving back to the United States in 2017, Barnard ran the Pacific Biodiversity Institute [23] and served as chief science and policy officer for the Conservation Biology Institute. [24] She co-founded and led the Stable Planet Alliance [8] until 2023 and is now co-designing and co-leading with youth and other women leaders the Global Restoration Collaborative [9] and providing strategic campaign development guidance to the Global Evergreening Alliance, [25] both bold initiatives to accelerate and upscale ecosystem restoration, climate restoration and carbon removal through transformative global collaboration.

Research

Barnard has written and edited over 180 peer-reviewed scientific and policy publications, including books, reports, chapters and papers on biodiversity, global change, early warning systems, climate resilience, and ornithology. [2]

She is one of five core co-authors of the 2020 paper World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency, co-signed by more than 15,484 scientists from 163 countries. [4] She is also lead author of the 2021 paper World Scientists’ Warnings into Action: Local to Global in Science Progress (for COP26), co-signed so far by 3000+ scientists from 110+ countries. [5] Impatient with the dry strictures of scientific publications, she increasingly balanced peer-reviewed journals with popular and policy summaries and, from 2013 onwards, filmmaking for greater societal impact.

Filmmaking

Barnard and John Bowey have co-produced short- and long-format documentaries on big issues for society and the planet since 2018, including My Otherland and Back to Our Future: Climate Restoration and Survival. [26] . [13] She has contributed script and strategic elements to a number of Bowey's other productions as a co-producer.

Awards and recognition

Barnard received a Society for Conservation Biology Distinguished Service Award in 2002. [27]  She was also recognized by the University of Washington in 2017 with an affiliate full professorship in conservation biology and environmental futures. [28] In 2019 she received the Forbes Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement from Bancroft School. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holocene extinction</span> Ongoing extinction event caused by human activity

The Holocene extinction, or Anthropocene extinction, is the ongoing extinction event caused by humans during the Holocene epoch. These extinctions span numerous families of plants and animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, and affecting not just terrestrial species but also large sectors of marine life. With widespread degradation of biodiversity hotspots, such as coral reefs and rainforests, as well as other areas, the vast majority of these extinctions are thought to be undocumented, as the species are undiscovered at the time of their extinction, which goes unrecorded. The current rate of extinction of species is estimated at 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural background extinction rates and is increasing. During the past 100–200 years, biodiversity loss and species extinction have accelerated, to the point that most conservation biologists now believe that human activity has either produced a period of mass extinction, or is on the cusp of doing so. As such, after the "Big Five" mass extinctions, the Holocene extinction event has also been referred to as the sixth mass extinction or sixth extinction; given the recent recognition of the Capitanian mass extinction, the term seventh mass extinction has also been proposed for the Holocene extinction event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodiversity</span> Variety and variability of life forms

Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth; it is usually greater in the tropics as a result of the warm climate and high primary productivity in the region near the equator. Tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10% of Earth's terrestrial surface and contain about 50% of the world's species. There are latitudinal gradients in species diversity for both marine and terrestrial taxa. Marine coastal biodiversity is highest globally speaking in the Western Pacific ocean steered mainly by the higher surface temperatures. In all oceans across the planet, marine species diversity peaks in the mid-latitudinal zones. Terrestrial species threatened with mass extinction can be observed in exceptionally dense regional biodiversity hotspots, with high levels of species endemism under threat. There are 36 such hotspot regions which require the world's attention in order to secure global biodiversity.

The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available. The carrying capacity is defined as the environment's maximal load, which in population ecology corresponds to the population equilibrium, when the number of deaths in a population equals the number of births. The effect of carrying capacity on population dynamics is modelled with a logistic function. Carrying capacity is applied to the maximum population an environment can support in ecology, agriculture and fisheries. The term carrying capacity has been applied to a few different processes in the past before finally being applied to population limits in the 1950s. The notion of carrying capacity for humans is covered by the notion of sustainable population.

Overconsumption describes a situation where a consumer overuses their available goods and services to where they can't, or don't want to, replenish or reuse them. In microeconomics, this may be described as the point where the marginal cost of a consumer is greater than their marginal utility. The term overconsumption is quite controversial in use and does not necessarily have a single unifying definition. When used to refer to natural resources to the point where the environment is negatively affected, it is synonymous with the term overexploitation. However, when used in the broader economic sense, overconsumption can refer to all types of goods and services, including manmade ones, e.g. "the overconsumption of alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning". Overconsumption is driven by several factors of the current global economy, including forces like consumerism, planned obsolescence, economic materialism, and other unsustainable business models and can be contrasted with sustainable consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conservation biology</span> Study of threats to biological diversity

Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on natural and social sciences, and the practice of natural resource management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forestation</span>

Forestation is a vital ecological process where forests are established and grown through afforestation and reforestation efforts. Afforestation involves planting trees on previously non-forested lands, while reforestation focuses on replanting trees in areas that were once deforested. This process plays an important role in restoring degraded forests, enhancing ecosystems, promoting carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation.

The "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity" was a document written in 1992 by Henry W. Kendall and signed by about 1,700 leading scientists. Twenty-five years later, in November 2017, 15,364 scientists signed "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice" written by William J. Ripple and seven co-authors calling for, among other things, human population planning, and drastically diminishing per capita consumption of fossil fuels, meat, and other resources. The second notice has more scientist cosigners and formal supporters than any other journal article ever published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William E. Rees</span>

William Rees, FRSC, is Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia and former director of the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) at UBC.

Human overpopulation describes a concern that human populations may become too large to be sustained by their environment or resources in the long term. The topic is usually discussed in the context of world population, though it may concern individual nations, regions, and cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global biodiversity</span> Total variability of Earths life forms

Global biodiversity is the measure of biodiversity on planet Earth and is defined as the total variability of life forms. More than 99 percent of all species that ever lived on Earth are estimated to be extinct. Estimates on the number of Earth's current species range from 2 million to 1 trillion, but most estimates are around 11 million species or fewer. About 1.74 million species were databased as of 2018, and over 80 percent have not yet been described. The total amount of DNA base pairs on Earth, as a possible approximation of global biodiversity, is estimated at 5.0 x 1037, and weighs 50 billion tonnes. In comparison, the total mass of the biosphere has been estimated to be as much as 4 TtC (trillion tons of carbon).

In environmental science, a population "overshoots" its local carrying capacity — the capacity of the biome to feed and sustain that population — when that population has not only begun to outstrip its food supply in excess of regeneration, but actually shot past that point, setting up a potentially catastrophic crash of that feeder population once its food populations have been consumed completely. Overshoot can apply to human overpopulation as well as other animal populations: any life-form that consumes others to sustain itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth Overshoot Day</span> Calculated calendar date when humanitys yearly consumption exceeds Earths replenishment

Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) is the calculated illustrative calendar date on which humanity's resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources that year. The term "overshoot" represents the level by which human population's demand overshoots the sustainable amount of biological resources regenerated on Earth. When viewed through an economic perspective, the annual EOD represents the day by which the planet's annual regenerative budget is spent, and humanity enters environmental deficit spending. EOD is calculated by dividing the world biocapacity, by the world ecological footprint, and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year:

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William J. Ripple</span>

William J. Ripple is a professor of ecology at Oregon State University in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society. He is best known for his research on terrestrial trophic cascades, particularly the role of the gray wolf in North America as an apex predator and a keystone species that shapes food webs and landscape structures via “top-down” pressures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodiversity loss</span> Extinction of species or loss of species in a given habitat

Biodiversity loss happens when plant or animal species disappear completely from Earth (extinction) or when there is a decrease or disappearance of species in a specific area. Biodiversity loss means that there is a reduction in biological diversity in a given area. The decrease can be temporary or permanent. It is temporary if the damage that led to the loss is reversible in time, for example through ecological restoration. If this is not possible, then the decrease is permanent. The cause of most of the biodiversity loss is, generally speaking, human activities that push the planetary boundaries too far. These activities include habitat destruction and land use intensification. Further problem areas are air and water pollution, over-exploitation, invasive species and climate change.

Proforestation is the practice of protecting existing natural forests to foster continuous growth, carbon accumulation, and structural complexity. It is recognized as an important forest based strategy for addressing the global crises in climate and biodiversity. Forest restoration can be a strategy for climate change mitigation. Proforestation complements other forest-based solutions like afforestation, reforestation and improved forest management.

Sustainable population refers to a proposed sustainable human population of Earth or a particular region of Earth, such as a nation or continent. Estimates vary widely, with estimates based on different figures ranging from 0.65 billion people to 9.8 billion, with 8 billion people being a typical estimate. Projections of population growth, evaluations of overconsumption and associated human pressures on the environment have led to some to advocate for what they consider a sustainable population. Proposed policy solutions vary, including sustainable development, female education, family planning and broad human population planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecological overshoot</span> Demands on ecosystem exceeding regeneration

Ecological overshoot is the phenomenon which occurs when the demands made on a natural ecosystem exceed its regenerative capacity. Global ecological overshoot occurs when the demands made by humanity exceed what the biosphere of Earth can provide through its capacity for renewal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30 by 30</span> International ecological preservation initiative

30 by 30 is a worldwide initiative for governments to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean area as protected areas by 2030. The target was proposed by a 2019 article in Science Advances, "A Global Deal for Nature: Guiding principles, milestones, and targets", highlighting the need for expanded nature conservation efforts to mitigate climate change. Launched by the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People in 2020, more than 50 nations had agreed to the initiative by January 2021, which has increased to more than 100 countries by October 2022.

Population Balance is a non-profit organization in the United States that raises awareness of the connections between pronatalism, human supremacy, social inequalities, and ecological overshoot, and advocates for solutions to address their combined impacts on the planet, people, and animals.

References

  1. 1 2 Fitzpatrick Institute, of African Ornithology (July 31, 2023). "Professor Phoebe Barnard".
  2. 1 2 Research Gate (July 27, 2023). "Phoebe Barnard's Publications".
  3. ↑ "Planetary Emergency Partnership". Club of Rome. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  4. 1 2 Ripple, William J; Wolf, Christopher; Newsome, Thomas M; Barnard, Phoebe; Moomaw, William R (November 5, 2019). "World Scientists' Warning of a Climate Emergency". BioScience. doi: 10.1093/biosci/biz088 . hdl: 2445/151800 . ISSN   0006-3568.
  5. 1 2 Barnard, Phoebe; Moomaw, William R; Fioramonti, Lorenzo; Laurance, William F; Mahmoud, Mahmoud I; O’Sullivan, Jane; Rapley, Christopher G; Rees, William E; Rhodes, Christopher J; Ripple, William J; Semiletov, Igor P; Talberth, John; Tucker, Christopher; Wysham, Daphne; Ziervogel, Gina (October 2021). "World scientists' warnings into action, local to global". Science Progress. 104 (4): 003685042110562. doi:10.1177/00368504211056290. ISSN   0036-8504. PMC   10450599 . PMID   34763547.
  6. ↑ Merz, Joseph J; Barnard, Phoebe; Rees, William E; Smith, Dane; Maroni, Mat; Rhodes, Christopher J; Dederer, Julia H; Bajaj, Nandita; Joy, Michael K; Wiedmann, Thomas; Sutherland, Rory (July 2023). "World scientists' warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot". Science Progress. 106 (3). doi:10.1177/00368504231201372. ISSN   0036-8504. PMC   10515534 . PMID   37728669.
  7. ↑ Fletcher, Charles; Ripple, William J; Newsome, Thomas; Barnard, Phoebe; Beamer, Kamanamaikalani; Behl, Aishwarya; Bowen, Jay; Cooney, Michael; Crist, Eileen; Field, Christopher; Hiser, Krista; Karl, David M; King, David A; Mann, Michael E; McGregor, Davianna P; Mora, Camilo; Oreskes, Naomi; Wilson, Michael (April 2, 2024). "Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future". PNAS Nexus. Retrieved April 2, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. 1 2 "StablePlanetAlliance | Bending the curve on planetary impacts". StablePlanetAlliance. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "Restoration". StablePlanetAlliance. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Green Up to Cool Down - Powered by the Global EverGreening Alliance". Global EverGreening Alliance. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Home". Global EverGreening Alliance. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  12. ↑ "John Bowey | Editor, director, producer". IMDb. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Home". Backtoourfuture. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Dr. Phoebe Barnard: Change through Leadership – Acadia University". www2.acadiau.ca. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  15. ↑ Barnard, Phoebe and the Namibian National Biodiversity Task Force (1998). Barnard, Phoebe (ed.). Biological diversity in Namibia: a country study (PDF). Windhoek: Namibian National Biodiversity Task Force. ISBN   978-0-86976-436-7.
  16. ↑ Barnard, Phoebe (2002). Biodiversity and development: Namibia's ten-year strategic plan of action for sustainable development through biodiversity conservation 2001–2010. Government of the Republic of Namibia. doi:10.13140/2.1.1627.2964.
  17. ↑ "Millennium Ecosystem Assessment". www.millenniumassessment.org. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  18. ↑ University of Cape Town (July 27, 2023). "Phoebe Barnard".
  19. ↑ Barnard, Phoebe; Thuiller, Wilfried (October 23, 2008). "Introduction. Global change and biodiversity: future challenges". Biology Letters . 4 (5): 553–555. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0374. ISSN   1744-9561. PMC   2610103 . PMID   18664413.
  20. ↑ Barnard, Phoebe; Altwegg, Res; Ebrahim, Ismail; Underhill, Les G. (March 27, 2017). "Early warning systems for biodiversity in southern Africa – How much can citizen science mitigate imperfect data?". Biological Conservation. 208: 183–188. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.011.
  21. ↑ "HB1 (2016) – Homeward Bound". May 12, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Busara Circle – Homeward Bound". May 12, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  23. ↑ Nations, United. "UNAI Digital Discussion Series with Homeward Bound Expedition Female Scientists". United Nations. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  24. ↑ University, Cape Town (July 28, 2023). "Professor Phoebe Barnard". University of Cape Town.
  25. ↑ "Home". Global EverGreening Alliance. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  26. ↑ "HOME". My Site. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Society for Conservation Biology | Past Recipients". conbio.org. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Phoebe Barnard". School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Bancroft School Reunion Awards" (PDF). July 27, 2023.
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