World Bank scientist to discuss global environmental change

Robert T. Watson, chief scientist and senior adviser for environmentally and socially sustainable development at the World Bank, will give the 2004 Edward Lamb Peace Lecture Wednesday (April 7) at BGSU.

He will speak on "Global Environmental Change: The Threat to Peace and Development" at 7 p.m. in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Theater.

A United Nations agency based in Washington, D.C., the World Bank is charged with fighting poverty and improving the living standards of people in the developing world.

Watson, who earned his doctorate in chemistry at London University in England, co-chairs the board of directors of the International Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the International Scientific Assessment of Stratospheric Ozone. From 1997-2002, he was chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He has also served in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House, and has worked at NASA. In addition, he has led the Convention on Biodiversity roster of experts on climate change and biodiversity, among other special projects.

Widely recognized for his work, Watson has received a number of awards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Protection Award, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, and the American Meteorological Society Special Award for his efforts in organizing and conducting international assessments of ozone depletion and global change.

The annual Edward Lamb Peace Lecture brings internationally recognized experts to Bowling Green each year to address the connection between environmental issues and world security. The series began in 1986 in honor of the late Edward Lamb, a prominent Toledo lawyer devoted to social justice, civil rights and world peace.