Philip Stott

Philip Stott is a professor emeritus of biogeography at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and a former editor (1987-2004) of the Journal of Biogeography. In the early 1970s, Stott and his wife, a historian and biographer, lived in Thailand and he was carrying out field research at Kalasin. He has written academic papers on the vegetation and archaeology of Thailand and on the rest of southeast Asia. Stott recently published, with Santanee Phasuk, a book, 'Royal Siamese Maps: War and Trade in Nineteenth Century Thailand' (River Books & Thames and Hudson: 2005) for H.R.H. Princess Sirindhorn. He writes for the press, especially for 'The Times', and broadcasts regularly on BBC radio and television on subjects including biogeography, extinction, climatology and ecology. He now hosts a new Web Site (April 2005 onwards), based on Bruno Latour's 'A Parliament of Things' [1]. In the UK, he is a life-long Labour supporter and he regards himself as mildly left wing politically. He is fiercely anti-tobacco (see his Blog). Two of his books are 'Global environmental change' (with Dr. Peter Moore and Professor Bill Chaloner) and 'Political ecology: science, myth and power' (edited with Dr. Sian Sullivan). He has also published four books of recorder music for children and recorder consorts, and he used to conduct an Early Music Consort called 'Pifaresca'. He is currently Chair of The Anglo-Thai Society, UK. He is no longer a member of the Scientific Alliance because he deems it important to be academically independent of all organisations, industry, and Green groups. He has two daughters.

Global warming

He is a critic of organizations like the IPCC and their position with regard to global warming, although he has not published in the fields of climate change. He has made many controversial public statements on the subject like "climate is one of the most complex systems known, yet that we can manage it by trying to control a small set of factors, namely greenhouse gas emissions. Scientifically, this is not mere uncertainty: it is a lie." [2]. However, he has researched on the construction of environmental knowledge for over thirty years. For his views on climate change, see [3].

Energy policy

His "alternative Charter for a sound energy policy" begins with we need are strong economies that can adapt to climate change and he proposes that the Kyoto Protocol be dropped because of "[I]ts ‘command-and-control’ economics which have no chance of working in the face of world economic growth, especially in the developing world." [4]. Stott is concerned that the UK is failing to address its core energy needs, which must involve a mix of clean coal, gas, and probably nuclear power [5].

External links

• EnviroSpin Watch Philip Stott's own weblog monitoring coverage of environmental issues and science in the UK media.
• A Parliament of Things His main Web Site.
• LobbyWatch article on Stott