Katharine Hayhoe serves as the co-director of the Texas Tech Climate Science Center.
For the second time, Katharine Hayhoe, co-director of the Texas Tech University Climate Science Center and a professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts & Sciences, has been named to the annual list of Global Thinkers published by Foreign Policy Magazine, one of the world's leading publications focused on global affairs.
"I am extremely honored to be recognized as one of Foreign Policy's Global Thinkers for the second straight time," Hayhoe said. "Climate change is a global issue, yet the reason we care about it is because it affects all of us, not matter where we live. It's a threat multiplier that takes the issues we already care about and exacerbates so many of them."
"Energy security, food security, immigration, the economy, international relations and civil conflict: the very real and very costly risks of droughts, floods, hurricanes, heatwaves and wildfires affect us all. So whatever the main issues of 2019 end up being, I can tell you one thing for sure – climate change will be making many of them worse."
Reaching an international audience of millions, Foreign Policy informs through insight and analysis of foreign policy and events for the world's leaders in government, finance, business and academia.
As the co-director of the Climate Science Center, Hayhoe engages with stakeholders in agriculture, public health, energy, infrastructure and more to communicate the relevance of a changing climate to our society today.
Hayhoe is considered one of the world's leading experts on climate science. Her research focuses on evaluating future impacts of climate change on human society and the natural environment by developing and applying high-resolution climate projections. She also presents the realities of climate change by connecting the issue to values people hold dear instead of being confrontational with scientific facts.
This year she was awarded the Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication from Climate One, a consortium under the Commonwealth of California that utilizes the top minds from business, government, academia and advocacy groups to advance the discussion about a clean energy future.
In 2017 and 2018, Hayhoe played a key role in the first and second volumes of the Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment published by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, as well as participating in the Nobel Peace Prize forum and giving a TED Talk on climate solutions.
In 2017, she was named one of the 50 World's Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine, which honors men and women across the globe who are helping to change the world and inspire others to do the same. In 2016, she was named to the annual Politico 50 list, which recognizes those in society who help shape policy and thinking in the U.S.
Hayhoe reaches a global audience through the KTTZ PBS Digital Short Series "Global Weirding," an online series currently in its third season that focuses on exploring the arguments, science, religion, culture and psychology where politics and climate change intersect.
