- Kenneth Hare
Fredrick Kenneth Hare (
February 5 ,1919 –September 3 ,2002 ) was a Canadian climatologist andacademic , who researched atmosphericcarbon dioxide ,climate change ,drought , and arid zone climates and was a strong advocate for preserving thenatural environment .Biography
Born in
Wiltshire ,England , he received aBachelor of Science in 1939 fromKing's College London . DuringWorld War II he was a meteorologist with the UKAir Ministry . After the war, he joinedMcGill University as an assistant professor. In 1950 he received aPhD in Geography from theUniversité de Montréal . From 1962 to 1964 he was dean of arts and science at McGill. Returning to England in 1964, he was Master of Birkbeck College from 1966 to 1968.In 1968 he accepted the position as fifth president of the
University of British Columbia which he served until he resigned in 1969. In 1969 he joined theUniversity of Toronto (U of T) becoming a Professor of geography and physics in 1974. From 1974 to 1979 he was director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at the U of T. From 1979 until 1986 he was Provost of Trinity College. From 1988 to 1995 he was the sixth Chancellor ofTrent University . From 1992 until his death in 2002, he chaired Canada's national Climate Program Planning Board.Research interests and advocacy
Hare's research interests included atmospheric carbon dioxide, climate change, drought, and arid zone climates. He was a strong advocate of protecting the natural environment and served on a wide variety of commissions and committees on subjects that included
acid rain ,desertification ,heavy metals ,nuclear reactors (and their waste products),ozone ,greenhouse gases andclimate change . He was on the Research and Development Advisory Panel ofAtomic Energy of Canada and conducted studies on nuclear waste management inSweden andFrance .Hare considered that the most pressing environmental challenge facing Canada is climate change caused by excessive use of
fossil fuels . He advocated effectively-managed nuclear power as a viable alternative. Throughout his life Hare was a tireless public speaker and writer about these issues.Awards and honours
In 1978 he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1987.In 1987 he was presented with the Sir John William Dawson Medal, for important contributions of knowledge in multiple domains, from the
Royal Society of Canada in which he was a Fellow.In 1989 he received the
Order of Ontario and the International Meteorological Organization Prize from theWorld Meteorological Organization . He was awarded honorary degrees by 11 universities.References
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