Anthony Leiserowitz is a
human geographer at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
who studies public perceptions of
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. He has particularly examined perceptions within the United States, where people are considerably less aware of climate change than in other countries. In the U.S., awareness of information about climate change is heavily influenced by emotion, imagery, associations, and values. Their public discourse reflects a lack of understanding of the science involved in climate change and little awareness of the potential for effective responses to it.
Early life and education
Sometimes referred to as Tony Leiserowitz, he grew up on a farm in Michigan. His parents were sculptors. He received his undergraduate degree at
Michigan State University in 1990 and then moved to Colorado, looking to work as ski bum. While there, he became interested in climate change and went to
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
to study under
Paul Slovic
Paul Slovic (born 1938 in Chicago) is a professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and the president oDecision Research Decision Research is a collection of scientists from all over the nation and in other countries that study decision- ...
, an expert in
risk perception
Risk perception is the subjective judgement that people make about the characteristics and severity of a risk. Risk perceptions are different for the real risks since they are affected by a wide range of affective (emotions, feelings, moods, etc.) ...
. In 2003, Leiserowitz received his Ph.D. in
human geography
Human geography or anthropogeography is the branch of geography that studies spatial relationships between human communities, cultures, economies, and their interactions with the environment. It analyzes spatial interdependencies between social i ...
.
Career
He joined the faculty of Yale in 2007. He started to collaborate with
Edward Maibach in 2008 to study people's perception of climate change.
As of 2018, he had an appointment as a senior research scientist in the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and was director of the
Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, a principal investigator at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, and a research scientist at Decision Research.
He was the recipient of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2011 Environmental Merit Award, and as of 2013, he had published approximately 100 scientific articles and book chapters on climate change beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors.
2021 documentary released
In 2021, Leiserowitz announced the creation of a film, ''Meltdown'', that documents a journey he took to
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
. The documentary was made during his travels to study the effects of climate change on Greenland firsthand. It contains his reactions to the experience and his comments on climate change, which he has been studying for decades. A promotional video appeared on
cheddar.com at the end of February 2021.
[Leiserowitz, Anthony]
'Meltdown' Documentary Offers Firsthand Look at Melting Ice in Greenland
', Chedder, February 23, 2021 (video)
Selected papers
*
*
*
*
*
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiserowitz, Anthony
American geographers
American political scientists
Climate change
Living people
Yale University faculty
University of Oregon alumni
Michigan State University alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)