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William H. Calvin Biography

William H. Calvin

William H. Calvin, Ph.D. (born April 30, 1939) is an American theoretical neurophysiologist and professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a well-known popularizer of neuroscience and evolutionary biology, including the hybrid of these two fields, neural Darwinism. He relates abrupt climate change to human evolution and more recently has been working on global climate change issues (his 2008 book Global Fever).

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William H. Calvin Quotes

Carbon-free energy is simply something we have to do. The time for talk is past. If we turn around net carbon emissions by 2020 rather than 2040, we get another 2° of fever rather than 3° - and that's a big difference.

2Deg, Big, Carbon, Carbon Emissions, Differences, Past

It's going to be like herding stray cats, and the political leaders who can do it will be remembered as the same kind of geniuses who pulled off the American Revolution.

Cat, Geniuses, Leader, Leaders, Political, Same

Stopping emissions growth represents the most minimal of do-something responses.

Climate, Emissions, Growth, Represents, Stopping

If we don't start thinking big about the CO2 problem, we may miss our opportunity to stop a climate runaway that will trash the habitable parts of the earth.

Co2, Missing, Opportunity, Problem, Thinking, Trash

Trusting your energy policy to the fossil fuel lobby is like trusting your health care system to the tobacco lobby.

Climate, Energy, Fuel, Lobby, Policy, System

Climate change has a very high procrastination penalty that just grows with each passing year of inaction - rather like what happens if you don't pay off your credit card. But for climate, there is no such thing as a fresh start from bankruptcy.

Change, Climate, Credit, Procrastination, Thing, Years

Our CO2 mixes with everyone else's within a year, then hangs around for centuries like a shroud.

Centuries, Century, Climate, Co2, Everyone, Years

Unless we redesign our civilization in numerous ways, all of the science in the world won't save us.

Civilization, Climate, Science, Unless, World

Since Serengeti-scale savanna scenes are only one or two million years old, our earliest after-the-apes ancestors didn't move into this scene so much as they evolved with it, as the slower climate changes and uplift produced more grass and less forest.

Grass, Moving, Scenes, Uplift, Uplifting, Years

You can always spot the pioneers by the arrows in their backs.

Arrows, Backs, Pioneers, Spot, Spots

Countries that innovate first get the new jobs, developing an economic edge over the C-free laggards that end up having to later import the technology.

Country, Developing, Edge, Import, Jobs, Technology

Even if we stop the growth, we'd still be adding a constant amount of fossil carbon to the atmosphere each year.

Atmosphere, Carbon, Fossil, Growth, Stop, Years

Carrying on as usual carries enormous risks, condemning today's students to a world of constant insecurity and frequent catastrophes.

Frequent, Insecurity, Risk, Students, Usual, World

Perhaps we should put up posters in such places reminding people that where they stand was underwater the last time that the Earth ran a 3°F fever.

3Degf, Fever, People, Places, Posters, Underwater

The real focus needs to be on political action to stop this runaway train, real soon.

Focus, Political, Real, Stop, Train

Anyone who would tackle our current addiction to fossil fuels is going to have to maneuver around denial.

Addiction, Denial, Fuel, Maneuver