Media Releases
Pioneering Climate Scientist Professor Wallace Broecker has passed away
19th February 2019
The Global CCS Institute is saddened by the news that Professor Wallace S. Broecker, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, has passed away. Professor Broecker was a geo scientist and professor at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. The world-renowned climate scientist coined the term “global warming” in 1975. He spent an important part of his academic career researching the ocean’s role in climate change.
During an interview with BBC Hardtalk, he spoke realistically about the pressing need to decarbonise the global economy with the deployment of carbon capture and storage. He said: “I think we have an option and the option is to let them [industrializing nations] industrialize but take care of the problem by capturing and storing the CO2. We’re going to have to learn to capture the CO2 and bury it – just like we learned to collect and put away garbage [and] sewage… We’ve taken over stewardship of the planet and with that we have the responsibility to take care of it.”
Professor Broecker was a strong advocate for climate action and carbon capture and storage. He will leave behind an important legacy with his remarkable contributions to the climate field.
You can read more about Professor Broecker’s achievements here.