Stephen Schneider (1945–2010)

Abstract

An atmospheric scientist who strove to understand adverse human impacts on climate worked just as hard to educate the general public about them. Most Science readers will know that Steve Schneider was a giant in atmospheric science who made seminal contributions in many areas, ranging from the roles played by cloud feedbacks in the climate system to the impact of aerosol particles in “nuclear winter” scenarios. They will also be aware that he was an indefatigable scientific educator, battling especially to ensure that climate disruption and humans' role in it were explained properly to the public. They likely know that he was well recognized for his contributions to atmospheric science and public policy. He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant in 1992. He was a contributor to all four of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, and he was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work on climate change.