Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen
Encyclopedia
Sonja Boehmer-Christiansen, Ph.D. is an Emeritus Reader
in Geography
at the University of Hull
in Kingston-upon-Hull England
where she taught environmental policy and politics. She was born in Dresden
, East Germany then moved to Adelaide, South Australia where she obtained a research degree in geomorphology while also studying German literature and a bit of economics and geology. Her Ph.D. thesis was on the limits to the international control of marine pollution.
She has been editor of Energy and Environment
since 1996. The publication, an "interdisciplinary journal aimed at natural scientists, technologists and the international social science and policy communities" (ISSN 0958-305X), is published 8 times a year and has 20 internationally-located members on its editorial advisory board. Of the journal she says that "The focus is on energy policy debates in relation to the numerous environmental 'concerns' that have surfaced in recent decades."
According to Fred Pearce
, Boehmer-Christiansen is a sceptic
about acid rain
and global warming
and calls the science reports produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
"political constructs." Her journal once published a paper that claimed that the sun is made of iron.
Reader (academic rank)
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth nations like Australia and New Zealand denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship...
in Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
at the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
in Kingston-upon-Hull England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where she taught environmental policy and politics. She was born in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, East Germany then moved to Adelaide, South Australia where she obtained a research degree in geomorphology while also studying German literature and a bit of economics and geology. Her Ph.D. thesis was on the limits to the international control of marine pollution.
She has been editor of Energy and Environment
Energy and Environment
Energy & Environment is a peer-reviewed academic journal aimed at natural scientists, technologists, and the international social science and policy communities covering the direct and indirect environmental impacts of energy acquisition, transport, production and use. Its editor-in-chief since...
since 1996. The publication, an "interdisciplinary journal aimed at natural scientists, technologists and the international social science and policy communities" (ISSN 0958-305X), is published 8 times a year and has 20 internationally-located members on its editorial advisory board. Of the journal she says that "The focus is on energy policy debates in relation to the numerous environmental 'concerns' that have surfaced in recent decades."
According to Fred Pearce
Fred Pearce
Fred Pearce is an English author and journalist based in London. He has been described as one of Britain's finest science writers and has reported on environment, popular science and development issues from 64 countries over the past 20 years. He specializes in global environmental issues,...
, Boehmer-Christiansen is a sceptic
Environmental skepticism
Environmental skepticism is an umbrella term that describes those that argue that particular claims put forward by environmentalists and environmental scientists who support the first are false or exaggerated, along with those who are critical of environmentalism in general...
about acid rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and calls the science reports produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
"political constructs." Her journal once published a paper that claimed that the sun is made of iron.
Selected publications
- June 1994. "Global climate protection policy: the limits of scientific advice: Part 1". Global Environmental Change. 4 (2): 140-159.
- September 1994. "Global climate protection policy: the limits of scientific advice: Part 2". Global Environmental Change. 4 (3): 185-200.