Vicky Pope is a scientist and the former head of the climate predictions programme at the

Hadley Centre The Met Office Hadley Centre — named in honour of George Hadley — is one of the United Kingdom's leading centres for the study of scientific issues associated with climate change. It is part of, and based at the headquarters of the Met Off ...

Biography

Pope attended North London Collegiate School. She joined the

Met Office The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelope E ...

in the 1980s and went on to complete a PhD in

Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

at the University of Reading. She spent 6 years as manager of atmospheric climate model development and evaluation. She became a senior manager of the climate research programme for a number of UK Government departments in 2002. Since October 2004 she was Head of the Climate Prediction Programme which provides independent scientific advice on

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 E ...

. Her research interests include developing and validating climate models. She is a professor at Gresham College, and an honorary professor at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. In an article for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' newspaper, she wrote:'' "Having to rein in extraordinary claims that the latest extreme event is all due to climate change is at best hugely frustrating and at worse enormously distracting. Overplaying natural variations in the weather as climate change is just as much a distortion of science as underplaying them to claim that climate change has stopped or is not happening."'' She added: ''"Both undermine the basic facts that the implications of climate change are profound and will be severe if

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

are not cut drastically."''

Publications

* * * Led the Met Office Hadley Centre contribution of climate science to the Stern review: the Economics of Climate Change. * * http://www.oxonia.org/WE%201-8/WE_1-8_article11.html * * * * * * * *
Sun and superstorms: Our changing climate
(2016) Chapter for The Earth and I: a book of essays edited by James Lovelock

Selected newspaper and web articles 2007-2013

Models 'key to climate forecasts'
BBC *Climate change, the real facts, The Sun newspaper
Scientists must rein in misleading claims
Guardian
Research is robust but communication is weak
The Times
How science will shape climate adaptation plans
The Guardian
Are climate data and evidence important? World Bank blogBrochures on climate science for visitors to the UNFCCC climate conferences and interested stakeholders
2005-2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Vicky British climatologists Women climatologists British women scientists Living people Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Reading Year of birth missing (living people)