Gordon McBean: Leading Canadian Expert on Arctic Climate, Driving Action for a Resilient Future

Professor Gordon McBean is a scientific leader on climate change and disaster risk reduction. He is a noted expert on Arctic climate and weather, climate change, meteorology, and natural hazards. From 1970 to 1988, he was a scientist with Environment Canada. In 1988, he was appointed Professor of Geography and Chair of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of British Columbia. In 1992, he became Professor of Oceanography and Head of the Department of Oceanography there. Alongside this work, he was chair of the World Climate Research Program (1988-1994). He returned to Environment Canada as Assistant Deputy Minister from 1994 to 2000, where he was responsible for climate, weather, and air quality sciences and services.

In 2000, he took on a professorship in the Departments of Geography, Political Science, and Physics at Western University. He served as Director of Policy Studies at the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, as well as Co-Director of its Centre for Environment and Sustainability.

Professor McBean has been a long-standing contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since its inception in 1988. He was a lead author for the IPCC’s First Assessment Report (1990) and Second Assessment Report (1995), and served as a review editor for the Fourth Assessment Report (2007).  He was a direct member of the IPCC team that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize shared with Al Gore “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures to counteract such change.” The Nobel committee also noted that the IPCC has fostered an increasingly informed consensus on the relationship between human activities and global warming. Thousands of scientists and officials from over 100 countries collaborate to achieve greater certainty about the scale of warming. Whereas in the 1980s, global warming seemed to be merely an interesting hypothesis, the 1990s produced firmer evidence in its support. In the 2000s, the connections became even clearer, and the consequences became even more apparent. The Peace Prize emphasized the connection between a changing climate and issues of international peace and security.

As a Canadian climatologist, he has served on a number of distinguished climate committees, including the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, President of the International Science Council (2014–2018); co-chair of the Future Earth Governing Council (2016–2018); and chair of the Science Committee for Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (2006–2011). For his national and international leadership, he has been awarded numerous distinguished honours, including the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.  

2024 was the warmest year on record globally and the first year to exceed 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level. Some of his most recent reflections include “Canada is melting two times faster and the Canadian Arctic three to four times faster than the global average. He sees it as essential that emissions be reduced and adaptation measures be taken to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Canada will continue to warm until at least 2050 due to long climate time scales. With warming, extreme storm events can be expected, bringing hail, rain, tornadoes, floods, and more hot weather, along with fewer cold days, resulting in a wide range of negative mental health outcomes.

Climate change is a threat to humanity’s well-being and planetary health. Over the past 20 years, the impacts of climate change have become more frequent and intense, affecting a larger portion of our population.  Changes in temperature and precipitation have increased the risk of diseases, as well as affecting economic activities such as supply-chain infrastructure and trade across North America. Risks include food production and nutritional security.”

Gordon McBean’s contributions to atmospheric and climate sciences have enhanced Canada’s stature on the world stage, advancing the understanding of climate change through his research and leadership in scientific organizations and research networks.

Contact information:
Emeritus Professor Gordon McBean
Western University
E-mail: gmcbean@uwo.ca
Tel: 519 661-2111

Submitted by Diane Szoller, Climate Scorecard Canada Country Manager