William R. Moomaw is the Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy at the

Fletcher School The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in its ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. Moomaw has worked at the intersection of science and policy, advocating for international sustainable development. His activities have included being a long-time contributor to the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) a ...

and an author on th
seminal "Perspective" paper
on

proforestation 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 ...

Education and career

Moomaw graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

in 1959, and in 1965 he earned a Ph.D. in

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. Moomaw was director of the climate, energy and pollution program for the

World Resources Institute The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global research non-profit organization established in 1982 with funding from the MacArthur Foundation under the leadership of James Gustave Speth. WRI's activities are focused on seven areas: food, fore ...

in Washington, D.C. Later he joined the faculty of

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in its ...

, where he was appointed Professor of International Environmental Policy. In 1992 he founded the

Center for International Environment and Resource Policy The Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) is an interdisciplinary education and research organization founded in 1992, devoted to the study of international sustainable development, within The Fletcher School of Law an ...

, within the Fletcher School, and remained the director of the center for 22 years, until his retirement in 2013.

Activities

Moomaw has conducted research in areas including sustainable development, renewable energy, trade and environment, technology and policy implications for climate change, water and climate change, economics and geochemistry of the nitrogen cycle, biodiversity, and negotiation strategies for environmental agreements. Moomaw has been a lead author for several

(IPCC) reports, including being the coordinating lead author of the 2001 chapter on

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 ...

reduction and a lead author for the 2007

IPCC Fourth Assessment Report ''Climate Change 2007'', the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was published in 2007 and is the fourth in a series of reports intended to assess scientific, technical and socio ...

Chapter 4: Energy Supply in Mitigation of Climate Change (Working Group III). As an

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

Congressional Science Fellow, he worked on energy and forestry legislation and on legislation that eliminated American use of

CFCs Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and propan ...

in spray cans to protect the ozone layer. Moomaw also founded the Tufts Climate Initiative and co-founded the Global Development and Environment Institute, and has served on the boards of

The Climate Group The Climate Group is a non-profit organisation that works with businesses and government leaders around the world to address climate change. The Group has programmes focusing on renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Launched in ...

, Clean Air-Cool Planet,

Earthwatch Institute Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental charity. Founded as Educational Expeditions International in 1971 by Bob Citron and Clarence Truesdale, Earthwatch supports hundreds of Ph.D. researchers across dozens of countries, conduc ...

, Center for Ecological Technologies,

Woods Hole Research Center Woodwell Climate Research Center, formerly known as the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) until August 2020, is a scientific research organization that studies climate change impacts and solutions. The International Center for Climate Governance n ...

, and the Consensus Building Institute. He remains an active advocate and commentator. Moomaw has also given

expert testimony An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in the U.S. Congress, and written reports for the United Nations.

Awards

In 2007 the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

was jointly awarded to the

IPCC and Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

. Moomaw was a lead author for chapters of several IPCC reports, including the 2007 report.

Publications

Books

* Transboundary Environmental Negotiation: New Approaches to Global Cooperation(co-editor) (2002). * People and Their Planet: Searching for Balance (co-editor) (1999). * Innovations in International Environmental Negotiation (co-editor) (1999)

References

External links

* Vide
New Energy & Environmental Agenda
The second speech of the conference was entitled Growth & the Environment: Defusing the Population Bomb. {{DEFAULTSORT:Moomaw, William The Fletcher School at Tufts University faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Williams College alumni