Gordon McBean
Professor and Director of Policy Studies
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and
Departments of Geography & Political Science
The University of Western Ontario

Dr. Gordon McBean received his B.Sc. in Physics and Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of British Columbia and a M.Sc. in Meteorology from McGill University. He was a scientist in Environment Canada from 1970 to 1988 when he was appointed Professor and Chair of the Atmospheric Science Program at UBC. In 1992, he was appointed Head, Department of Oceanography. From 1994 to 2000, he was Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for the Meteorological Service of Environment Canada. He was appointed to his present position in July, 2000.

Dr. McBean's research interests are in atmospheric and climate sciences, ranging in scope from the natural sciences of the phenomena to the policies of governments and responses of people to them. He is undertaking now research on the changing climate and weather systems in the Arctic, the policy aspects of disaster management in Canada; the climate science-policy aspects of integrated system dynamics models for analyzing behaviour of the social-economic-climatic System; and the role of science in decision making. An area of interest is the changing occurrence of extreme weather events with climate change, their influence on public systems and strategies for adaptation.

In addition to his activities at UWO and ICLR, Professor McBean is active nationally and internationally. He is Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences; Chair, International Council for Science (ICSU) Planning Group for an Integrated Research on Disaster Risk program; Co-Chair, Global Environmental Change START Scientific Committee; Director, Earth-Ocean-Atmospheric Sciences Division, Royal Society of Canada; member of: the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Science and Technology Committee: Board of Directors of the International Institute for Sustainable Development; Premier’s Climate Change Advisory Panel, Government of Ontario; Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation of the Association of Sapce Explorers; Scientific Advisory Committee, Department of Fisheries and Oceans: Member; Ontario Ministry of Environment Expert Panel - Climate Change Adaptation; Canadian Red Cross Climate Change Advisory Committee; City of London, Mayor’s Sustainable Energy Council; Conference Board of Canada, Leaders Roundtable on Climate Change Adaptation; and adviser to the Simon Fraser University, Adaptation to Climate Change Team; and Office of the Auditor General of Canada on the Review of Severe Weather Warnings and Review of Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act.

A highlight of the past year was the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Al Gore. As one of the scientists sharing in this Nobel Peace Prize, Professor McBean was invited to speak on behalf of the scientific recipients at a ceremony on Parliament Hill in response to the congratulatory speeches of M. Dion, M. Duceppe, Mr. Layton and Ms May. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (elected 1993); Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (elected 2000); American Meteorological Society (elected 1986)and was awarded the Patterson Medal (for distinguished contributions to meteorology by Canadian residents; highest award in Canadian meteorology)(1989) and the Jim Bruce Award for distinguished contributions to Environment Canada (2000)

He previously chaired the WMO-ICSU-IOC/Unesco Joint Scientific Committee for the World Climate Research Programme (1988-94) and was very active in the Nobel Peace Prize (2007) winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (participant in founding meeting, 1988, lead author 1990, 1995, Canadian head of delegation, 1994-2000; review editor, 2007). He was elected a member of the Executive Council of the World Meteorological Organization and as Vice-Chair of the Council of the Inter-American Institute. He has been a member of several US National Academy of Sciences Panels; an adviser to the Japan Space Agency and to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (Vienna); member of the International Council for Science’s Advisory Committee on the Environment; and lead author for the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment's chapter on the climate system.

He is an invited speaker across Canada and around the world. In 2008, he will speak, on climate change and hazards, to audiences at the Science and Technology Forum in Kyoto, a Japan Science and Technology Agency high-level Panel in Tokyo, the International Council for Science General Assembly in Mozambique, the International Geological Congress in Oslo, International Flood Conference in Toronto, International Disaster and Risk Conference in Davos, Switzerland, the Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for Local Government in Halifax, the Upwind-Downwind Conference in Hamilton and many workshops and other events. In the year, he also has spoken to the Science Teachers of Ontario, high schools in Ontario, Rotary and natural clubs and church groups. He is regularly called upon by national and local media, radio, print, and TV. He is able to communicate to a wide range of audiences.