Climatologist from Quebec conveys critical climate insights to European politicians, traveling from London to Paris
Dr. Corinne Le Quéré: A Leading Voice in Climate Action
Dr. Corinne Le Quéré, a renowned climate scientist hailing from Quebec, has amassed over 80,000 peer citations in her field. With a career spanning decades, she has become a trusted advisor to high-level governments in France and the UK, urging them to accelerate climate action.
One of her most significant contributions is the development of a model to calculate the absorption of carbon by the oceans. This groundbreaking work could pave the way for offsetting emissions from sectors like aviation and agriculture in the future.
However, Dr. Le Quéré is cautious about the concept of "green oil", warning against its potential pitfalls. She believes that the responsibility for climate action does not rest solely on the individual but on the entire system.
In her personal life, Dr. Le Quéré is taking steps to reduce her carbon footprint. She is embarking on a project to make her family carbon neutral, planning to install an electric heat pump for her home and having already planted 1000 trees on three hectares of land.
Dr. Le Quéré acknowledges that flying is her "Achilles' heel", contributing significantly to her carbon emissions due to frequent visits to her family in Quebec and her daughter in New York.
France, under Dr. Le Quéré's guidance, has seen a 5% drop in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. In the UK, where she also serves as a member of the Climate Change Committee, advising the British government on climate action, the country has halved its greenhouse gas emissions since 1990.
Dr. Le Quéré is a firm believer in capturing and sequestering atmospheric carbon, but she stresses that reforestation will never be a universal solution. She advocates for other options, such as storing atmospheric CO2 in the ground and in the ocean.
As the world transitions away from oil, Dr. Le Quéré emphasizes the importance of planning. She finds there's "too much guilt in the air" and "too many excuses" regarding climate action, encouraging a proactive and systematic approach to addressing this global challenge.
Canada, with its heavy reliance on oil, must also plan for the long-term evolution of its economy. The Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, was losing its potential to absorb carbon due to climate change, but the restoration of the ozone layer is reversing some of this phenomenon.
Dr. Le Quéré grew up in Gatineau, Quebec, and studied physics at the University of Montreal. Her journey from a Quebecois town to a global climate leader serves as an inspiration for many. As she continues her work, Dr. Le Quéré remains a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change.
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