Michael Mann: Sustainability, climate change, and advocacy

Dr. Michael Mann, who has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications primarily on climate, activism, and sustainability, is also known for his determination to communicate the facts on climate change to the public, particularly through his RealClimate blog, op-eds, and other media engagements. His scientific contributions have utilized a myriad of methodologies and data including proxy evidence from past climate to reconstruct large-scale climate changes in past centuries, to robust future modeling projections. Originally his name became known worldwide for his "hockey stick" graph, showing that the twentieth century was unusually warm compared to the preceding 900 years. Mann's studies concluded that the increasing, and all too often record warmth, was extremely unlikely in the absence of human-caused climate change. This chapter details his contributions to atmospheric science and understanding ocean dynamics, as well as his shift from the purely physical sciences to becoming one of the greatest voices in climate change advocacy and communication, as he promotes and defends accurate and effective science education, going beyond the research explaining the potential implications of a warming climate to the media, public, and policymakers.