Maybe due to a similar background I communicated quite a lot with Peter
recently and I am very sorry never to have met him. I can pass on some
information on his life. He must have been about 73
Dr Peter Read did his BA and PhD degrees in engineering at Cambridge between
1955 and 64 and subsequently an MSc in Economics at the London School of
Economics in 1976.
(Title of Professor? No [except by my travel agent - it works wonders in far
eastern airports]
Career (A rolling stone that eventually fell into a black hole)
Opting out of academic engineering from an interest in policy I became part of
Wilson’s (UK prime minister 64 to 70 or so) “white heat of technology”
(labour government image slogan) in Whitehall (UK government service) for 11
years before retreating through the LSE to "know my enemy" after which an
interesting but unproductive 3 years as Research Fellow in Alternative Energy
Technology at the Open University (UK). Wanting an academic seat upon which to
sit and think (and teach wicked economics as little as possible), and given
Callaghan's (next UK prime minister) retrenchment on Robbins' university
expansion, I retired to the land of my wife where Massey University turned out
to be that bourne from which no man returns, with advancement only for those
willing to undertake tedious chores in aid of institutional objectives with
which I had no sympathy. So Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Part time Sen Lecturer,
Part Time Research Fellow and finally Honorary [=unpaid] Research Fellow.
(Hon Research Fellow probably the most impressive to those who don't know what
it means)
Kings College Exhibitioner 1955-58
Research Fellow Open University 1976-79
Research Fellow Massey University 2005
Hon Research Fellow 2006
Convenor, United Nations Foundation Expert Workshop on Policy Implications
of Potential Abrupt Climate Change, Oct 2004.
Lead Author IPCC Special Report on Land Use Land Use Change and Forestry
(LULUCF) 2001
Contributing Author IPCC Fourth Assessment Report 2007
Coiner of the word "Biochar" (2005) and credited with intellectual priority
with the BECCS concept (2001)
Peter was a great scientist and engineer with a great sense of humour. I do
hope his work on Biochar will eventually play its part in bringing the world
back to a stable climate.
My sympathy to Peter’s family.
John Gorman
----- Original Message -----
From: Sam Carana
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; Geoengineering
Sent: Thursday, November 26, 2009 7:47 AM
Subject: Re: [geo] [Fwd: [biochar] Hasta siempre Peter Read!]
So sad to hear that news, Ron and others.
We have lost a great man, who devoted so much of his time and work to improve
the quality of soils and forests. Peter was one of the strongest advocates of
biochar -- at the same time, Peter was one of the kindest persons I have come
to know, always ready to respond to requests for information and always going
out of his way to describe biochar and to share the wealth of information and
experiences he had accumulated over the years.
He will be dearly missed,
Sam Carana
On Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 5:54 PM, John Nissen <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Ron and Roy,
This is sad and terrible news.
It is sad for me because I had met Peter a few months ago and we were
instant friends. He was an incredibly kind person, and was willing to support
me in an area which was not his direct interest. And when there was any
technical question, he was willing to produce facts and figures and do the
necessary calculations. I have never known anybody with an academic capability
who was so generous in this way. And he had an extraordinary empathy for the
poor people of this world, seeing his beloved biochar as a real benefit for
them. I felt I could seek Peter's advice on any matter, and he would give
generously and wisely - perhaps more wisely than anybody I have known.
The news is not only sad news but terrible news. Peter had incredible
experience, knowledge and understanding, of utmost importance to the world at
this time of impending environmental crises. He was one of the very few people
who understood the true gravity of the situation, and that if we did not act
now, the chances of avoiding a "point of no return" in the Earth's climate
system were slim. But, more than this, he acknowledged and upheld the
scientific logic that emissions cuts, however drastic, could not save the
situation. He supported the open letter I wrote to Dr Pachauri [1], chairman
of IPCC, concerning the other actions required besides emissions reduction - on
the one hand "carbon stock management" (Peter's term) to reduce CO2 levels in
the air, and on the other hand "solar radiation management" (an established
geoengineering term) for cooling the Arctic. The loss of one of the main
supporters of such actions is a loss to the world, at a time when it is
focussed entirely on emissions reductions.
I am sure that Peter would feel his best memorial would be an
acknowledgement of the role he had played in trying to save the world from its
own foolishness.
In great sadness,
John
Chiswick, London W4
[1]
http://geo-engineering.blogspot.com/2009/03/open-letter-to-dr-pachauri.html
---
Ron Larson wrote:
Geoengineering list: I am sorry to pass on the attached sad news about
the death of Peter Read.
Ron
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [biochar] Hasta siempre Peter Read!
From: Ruy Korscha Anaya de la Rosa <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:33:00 +1300
To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Dear all,
I've been informed that Peter Read, a renowned advocate of biochar,
passed away last night in his hotel room in the Netherlands -- having been
presenting his ideas on biochar that day.
Ruy
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