Who is Stephen Schneider

Professor Stephen Schneider passed away on 19 July, 2010, aged 65.

Stephen Schneider was one of the world's great climate change scientists, teachers and communicators. Stephen's contributions were enormous and his influence profound on a global scale. An Adelaide Thinker in Residence in 2006, he left South Australia with a legacy of leadership on climate change. He will be sadly missed.

Educator, Professor, researcher, writer, advisor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton and Bush Jr administrations, Stephen Schneider was recognised as one of the world’s foremost experts in climate change.

Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Professor of Biological Sciences and of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Senior Fellow for the Environment at Stanford University, Dr. Schneider focused on climate change science and assessment of the impacts of human-induced climate change in identifying viable climate policies and technological solutions. 

Stephen believed that creative approaches are key to meeting the sustainability challenges posed by climate change, saying ‘we have to invent our way out of the problem’. Stephen founded and was Editor of the interdisciplinary journal, Climate Change, was Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopaedia of Climate and Weather and author of many publications on global warming.

Working in the field of climate change for more than thirty years, Stephen was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship for his ability to make climate change understandable and immediately relevant to individuals and communities through public lectures, teaching, environmental committees, the media and research collaborations.