Jim Skea

Born
James Skea

Dundee, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)Professor, scientist
Academic background
Alma mater
Academic work
InstitutionsImperial College London

James "Jim" Ferguson Skea CBE FRSE /skiː/ sk-EE (born 1 September 1953) is a British academic. He is currently Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for its seventh assessment cycle,[1] and a Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London. Before being elected as Chair, Skea was Co-Chair of Working Group III of the IPCC. He was a founding member of the UK Government's Committee on Climate Change and currently chairs Scotland's Just Transition Commission. He was a co-author of the IPCC 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C. In July 2023, Skea was elected as Chair the IPCC.[2]

Education

Skea studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with a BSc in Mathematical Physics with first class Honours in 1975. He gained his PhD in Energy Research from Clare College, Cambridge in 1978.[3]

Academic career

From 1978 to 1981, Skea was a research assistant in the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. He then worked at the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a research associate and later visiting assistant professor from 1981 to 1983. He was employed at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex as a Research Fellow (1983–1989), Senior Research Fellow (1989–1993) and a Professorial Fellow (1994–1998). Skea was Director of the Policy Studies Institute from 1998 to 2004. He has held an appointment as Professor of Sustainable Energy at Imperial College London's Centre for Environmental Policy since 2009.[4]

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Skea was elected as Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 26 July 2023.[2] He has been involved with the IPCC since it was created in the 1990s. He has served as a member of the Bureau since 2008, first as Vice-Chair of Working Group III, and then as Co-Chair from 2015.[3] He was a co-author of the 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C.[5][6], 2019 Special Report on Climate Change and Land[7] and the 2022 report on the Mitigation of Climate Change.[8]

During his time as IPCC Chair, Skea is being hosted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).[9]

Scientific appointments

Skea was appointed as Director of the Economic and Social Research Council's Global Environmental Change Programme from 1995 to 1998. He was Research Director at the UK Energy Research Centre from 2004 to 2012. Skea was a member of the United Kingdom's Committee on Climate Change from its inception in 2008 until 2018. From 2012 to 2017 he was the Research Councils UK Energy Strategy Fellow based at Imperial College London. Skea was President of the Energy Institute from 2015 to 2017 and has been an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Senior Fellow since 2017.[10]

Honours and awards

Selected publications

  • van Diemen R; Skea J; Hannon M; Gazis E; Rhodes A (2019). Energy Innovation for the Twenty-First Century: Accelerating the Energy Revolution. Edward Elgar. ISBN 978-1-78811-261-1.
  • Ekins P; Skea J; Winskel M (2011). Energy 2050: the transition to a secure low carbon energy system for the UK. Earthscan. ISBN 978-1138968790.
  • Sorrell S; Skea J (1998). Pollution for Sale: Emissions Trading and Joint Implementation. Edward Elgar. ISBN 9781840640106.
  • Howes R; Skea J; Whelan B (1997). Clean and Competitive? Motivating Environmental Performance in Industry. Earthscan. ISBN 1-85383-491-2.
  • Hawkins R; Skea J; Mansell R (1995). Standards, Innovation and Competitiveness: The Politics and Economics of Standards in Natural and Technical Environments. Edward Elgar. ISBN 9781858980379.
  • Boehmer-Christiansen SA; Skea J (1991). Acid Politics: Environmental and Energy Policies in Britain and Germany. Belhaven Press. ISBN 1852933178.

Notes

  1. ↑ "IPCC elects Jim Skea as the new Chair". Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 "IPCC elects Jim Skea as the new Chair". Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 'Skea, Prof. James Ferguson (born 1 Sept. 1953)' in Who's Who 2015 (London: A. & C. Black, 2015)
  4. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ Summary for Policymakers (PDF), Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), nd, archived from the original (PDF) on 18 October 2018, retrieved 8 October 2018, "IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty
  6. ↑ Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (Report). Incheon, Republic of Korea: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  7. ↑ Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems (Report). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 2019.
  8. ↑ Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of climate change (Report). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 4 April 2022.
  9. ↑ "IIED to host chair of IPCC". www.iied.org. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Professor Jim Skea CBE FRSE FEI HonFSE".
  11. ↑ Rear Admiral Richard Cobbold, Professor James Ferguson Skea and The British Japanese Law Association received Ambassador's Commendation dated 9 February 2009 at uk.emb-japan.go.jp, accessed 19 April 2015
  12. ↑ Skea wins Melchett Award dated 17 September 2010 at imperial.ac.uk, accessed 19 April 2015


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