Convocation: Richard Moss '77

Richard Moss (Carleton Class of 1977) works at the intersection of climate science and policy as Senior Scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute at the University of Maryland. He directed the U.S. government's climate research program from 2000-2006 (spanning the Clinton and Bush administrations) and led preparation of a number of reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 1993-1998. He also led climate change programs at the World Wildlife Fund and the United Nations Foundation. Moss remains active in the IPCC and attended the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in 2007, when IPCC shared the award with Al Gore. He is also active in the climate research committees of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. An English literature major at Carleton, Moss received his Ph.D. in public policy from Princeton before delving into climate change research. Moss’ experiences demonstrate the value of a liberal arts education and Carleton's distribution requirements! The title of his presentation was "What Do We Need to Know to Act on Climate Change?"