Ronald Oxburgh, Baron Oxburgh

The Right Honourable The Lord Oxburgh KBE FRS HonFREng
Born	(1934-11-02) 2 November 1934 (age 90)
Alma mater	University College, Oxford Princeton University
Spouse(s)	Ursula, Lady Oxburgh
Children	3
Awards	Bigsby Medal (1979)
Scientific career
Thesis	Geology of the eastern Carabobo area, Venezuela  (1960)
Doctoral advisor	Harry Hammond Hess

Ernest Ronald Oxburgh, Baron Oxburgh (born 2 November 1934) is an English geologist, geophysicist and politician.[1] Lord Oxburgh is well known for his work as a public advocate in both academia and the business world in addressing the need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and develop alternative energy sources[2] as well as his negative views on the consequences of current oil consumption.

Early life

Oxburgh was born in Liverpool on 2 November 1934. He remained there with his family throughout World War II, despite Luftwaffe air raids. He attended Liverpool Institute High School for Boys from 1942 to 1950. He is a graduate of University College, Oxford and Princeton University (PhD) (1960) where he worked on the emerging theory of plate tectonics[3] with the famous geologist Harry Hammond Hess.

Career

Oxburgh has taught geology and geophysics at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. At Cambridge he was Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology, head of the Department of Earth Sciences and President of Queens' College. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford, Caltech, and Cornell. From 1988 to 1993, Lord Oxburgh was chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence, and Rector of Imperial College London from 1993 to 2000.[4] He was a member of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education that published an influential report in 1997.[5]

During 2004–05 Oxburgh was a non-executive chairman of Shell, the UK arm of Royal Dutch Shell. His tenure was remarkable in that while chairing a fossil fuels giant he expressed his "fears for the planet" because of climate change, sought new energy sources, and urged the global community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.[6]

Lord Oxburgh was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Science and Engineering Research Council (Singapore), as of 1 January 2002, and is a member of the International Academic Advisory Panel of Singapore and the University Grants Committee (Hong Kong).[7] He is honorary president of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association,[8] chairman of Falck Renewables, a wind energy firm,[9] an advisor to Climate Change Capital. He was chairman of D1 Oils, plc, a biodiesel producer, in 2007, and a director of GLOBE, the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment.[2]

In March 2010, he was appointed as the chair of an inquiry into the research conducted by the Climatic Research Unit following the Climatic Research Unit hacking incident.[10] The report,[11] released 14 April 2010, found that "...work has been carried out with integrity, and that allegations of deliberate misrepresentation and unjustified selection of data are not valid." Critics asserted Oxburgh's ties with businesses that stood to profit from the decision created a conflict of interest.[12][13] The University of East Anglia did not see any conflict of interest,[14] stating,

"The choice of scientists is sure to be the subject of discussion, and experience would suggest that it is impossible to find a group of eminent scientists to look at this issue who are acceptable to every interest group which has expressed a view in the last few months. Similarly it is unlikely that a group of people who have the necessary experience to assess the science, but have formed no view of their own on global warming, could be found."[15]

Personal life

While at Princeton University, Oxburgh was joined by his fiancée, Ursula, whom he married in the university chapel. They have three children.[16] An outdoorsman, Oxburgh enjoyed orienteering and running marathons until knee surgery limited him to mountain hikes with his wife.[1]

Awards and honors

• He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1992 Birthday Honours[17] and made a Life Peer as Baron Oxburgh, of Liverpool in the County of Merseyside on 27 July 1999,[18] where he sits as a crossbencher on the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology[19] and is an officer of the All-Parliamentary Group for Earth Sciences.[20]
• He is an honorary fellow of St Edmund Hall[21] and University College, Oxford.
• He received the 2007 Platts Life Time Achievement Award.[22]
• He is a fellow of the Royal Society.
• He is a Corresponding fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
• He is an Honorary Fellow[23] of the Royal Academy of Engineering[23] and a Foreign member of the US National Academy of Sciences as well as the Australian Academy of Science and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.[15][24][25]
• He is an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University.[1]
• Degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, from Leeds University conferred 21 July 2009[26]
• Singapore Honorary Citizenship, from the President Tony Tan Keng Yam of Singapore, conferred 2 October 2012.
• He was awarded the Melchett Medal by the British Energy Institute on 2 December 2014[27]

Selected bibliography

• Oxburgh, E.R. (1968) The Geology of the eastern Alps, London: Geologists' Association, 127 p.
• Oxburgh, E R. (1974) The plain man's guide to plate tectonics, The eleventh Geologists' Association special lecture delivered 2 February 1973, Oxford: Geologists' Association., Reprinted from the Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 85 (3)
• Moorbath, S., Thompson, R.N. and Oxburgh, E.R. (1984) "The relative contributions of mantle, oceanic crust and continental crust to magma genesis: Proceedings of a Royal Society discussion meeting held on 23 and 24 March 1983", Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London, 310 (1514), 342 p., London: Royal Society, ISBN 0-85403-230-4
• Oxburgh, E R., Yardley, B.W.D. and England, P.C. (Eds) (1987) Tectonic settings of regional metamorphism, Proceedings of a Royal Society discussion meeting in association with IGCP project no.235 on 'Metamorphism and Geodynamics' held on 29 and 30 January 1986, London: Royal Society, ISBN 0-85403-290-8
• Butler, R. Sir, Oxburgh, R. Sir and Field, F. (1996) Social business, Newchurch lecture series, London: Newchurch & Company, ISBN 0-9529139-0-9
• Oxburgh, E.R., Baron (Chairman) (2004) "Chips for everything: follow-up: report with evidence": 1st report of session 2003–04 / House of Lords, Science and Technology Committee, House of Lords papers 15, London: Stationery Office, ISBN 0-10-400372-3
• Oxburgh, E.R., Baron (Chairman) (2004) "Radioactive waste management: report with evidence: 5th report of session 2003–04 / House of Lords, Science and Technology Committee", House of Lords papers 200, London: Stationery Office, ISBN 0-10-400568-8
• Oxburgh, E.R., Baron (Chairman) (2004) "Renewable energy: practicalities ; 4th report of session 2003–04 / House of Lords, Science and Technology Committee", House of Lords papers 126, London: Stationery Office, ISBN 0-10-400506-8
• Oxburgh, E.R., Baron (Chairman) (2004) "Science and the RDAs: follow-up: report with evidence: 2nd report of session 2003-04 / Select Committee on Science and Technology", House of Lords papers 103', London: Stationery Office, ISBN 0-10-400463-0
• Oxburgh, E.R., Baron (Chairman) (2004) "Science and treaties: 3rd report of session 2003-04 / Select Committee on Science and Technology", House of Lords papers, 110, London: Stationery Office, ISBN 0-10-400471-1

References

1. "Lord Oxburgh, KBE, FRS HonFREng". Ljmu.ac.uk. 31 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 August 2006. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
2. "D1 Oils – News". D1plc.com. 31 December 2007. Archived from the original on 23 February 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
3. E. R. OXBURGH (22 September 1972). "Flake Tectonics and Continental Collision". Nature. 239 (5369). Nature.com: 202–204. Bibcode:1972Natur.239..202O. doi:10.1038/239202a0. S2CID 4186536.
4. The Lord Oxburgh, KBE, FRS: Rector 1993–2000 Archived 16 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
5. "Higher Education in the learning society: Main Report". Education England. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
6. "UK | Shell boss 'fears for the planet'". BBC News. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
7. "Lord Ronald Oxburgh". A-star.edu.sg. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
8. "CCSA – Staff". Ccsassociation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 18 August 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
9. "No more cheap energy, says expert: The University of Western Australia". News.uwa.edu.au. 26 November 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
10. "Chair announced for climate probe". BBC News. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
11. "Evidence - Evidence - The Independent Climate Change Email Review - Library - UEA".
12. David Adam (14 April 2010). "Scientists cleared of malpractice in UEA's hacked emails inquiry | Environment | guardian.co.uk". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
13. Webster, Ben (23 March 2010). "Lord Oxburgh the climate science peer has a conflict of interest". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010.
14. Anglia defends Oxburgh's eco network ties The Register
15. "CRU Scientific Assessment Panel announced – University of East Anglia". UEA. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
16. "UK | Profile: Lord Oxburgh". BBC News. 17 June 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
17. "No. 52952". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1992. p. 7.
18. "No. 55569". The London Gazette. 2 August 1999. p. 1.
19. "MPs, Lords and offices – UK Parliament". Biographies.parliament.uk. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
20. "All-Party Parliamentary Group for Earth Sciences: home page". Bgs.ac.uk. 5 April 2000. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
21. Fellows and Staff > Honorary Fellows > Rt. Hon. The Lord Ernest Ronald Oxburgh, St Edmund Hall, Oxford, UK.
22. "Climate Change Capital's Lord Oxburgh Wins Platts Life Time Achievement Award". Climate Change Capital. 15 November 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
23. "List of Fellows". Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
24. "National Academy of Sciences". Nasonline.org. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
25. "Ronald Oxburgh". German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
26. "University of Leeds – Lord Oxburgh of Liverpool". Leeds.ac.uk. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
27. Melchett Medal awarded to Lord Oxburgh: Energy Institute Events Guide, 2 December 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2015

External links

Media related to Ronald Oxburgh, Baron Oxburgh at Wikimedia Commons

• Ernest Ronald Oxburgh Profile
• The right climate for business: Ron Oxburgh talk at the Royal Society
• Ron Oxburgh: "I'm really very worried for the planet" from The Guardian
• Ron Oxburgh: Honorary Fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford
• Shell boss Ron Oxburgh "Fears for the planet"
• Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 12 October 1999
• Former Shell Exec Sees Oil Hitting $150 The Independent
• Climate Change Capital’s Lord Oxburgh Wins Platts Life Time Achievement Award

Academic offices
Preceded by Merger of Department of Geology with Departments of Mineralogy & Petrology and Geodesy & Geophysics	Head of Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge 1980 - 1988	Succeeded by Nick McCave
Preceded by W.A. Deer	Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Cambridge 1978-1988	Succeeded by E.K.H Salje
Preceded by Derek Bowett	President of Queens' College, Cambridge 1982–1989	Succeeded by John Polkinghorne
Preceded by Eric Ash	Rector of Imperial College London 1993–2000	Succeeded by Richard Sykes
Business positions
Preceded by Philip Watts	Chairman of Shell Transport and Trading 2004–2005	Succeeded by Position dissolved July 2005 responsibilities split between CEO Royal Dutch Shell: Jeroen van der Veer; and Chairman (Non-Exec) Royal Dutch Shell: Aad Jacobs
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Carlile of Berriew	Gentlemen Baron Oxburgh	Followed by The Lord Harrison