A eulogy to climate scientist Stephen Schneider

Stephen Schneider, a leading climate scientist at Stanford University,  passed away while on travel in the United Kingdom, on Monday the 19th of July.

Stephen Schneider did a lot to  help people realize that human actions have led to global-scale changes in Earth’s climate. He was instrumental in focusing scientific, political, and public attention on one of the major challenges facing humanity – the problem of human-caused climate change.

Some climate scientists have exceptional talents in pure research. They love to figure out the inner workings of the climate system. Others have strengths in communicating complex scientific issues to non-specialists. It is rare to find scientists who combine these talents. Stephen Schneider was just such a man.

I was really saddened to hear about  Stephen Schneider’s death. I have just finished his latest book: ” Science as a contact Sport: Inside the Battle to Save the Earth’s Climate“.

Steven Scheider  was an inspiration for any scientist and researcher working on climate change. He epitomized scientific courage. He was fearless. The pathway he chose – to be a scientific leader, to be a leader in science communication, and to fully embrace the interdisciplinary nature of the climate change problem – was not an easy pathway.

Let’s try to follow Stephen Schneider’ footsteps when thinking about BioFresh and how to explain the complexities of science to a variety of audiences.

Climate researcher Ben Santer paid tribute to his peer Prof Stephen Schneider here.