Peter Kalmus
Born (1974-05-09) May 9, 1974
EducationHarvard University (BS)
Columbia University (PhD)
AwardsNASA Early Career Achievement Medal, Transition US Walk the Talk Award
Scientific career
FieldsClimate science, ecological forecasting, science communication
InstitutionsJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, University of California, Los Angeles
Websitepeterkalmus.net

Peter Kalmus (born May 9, 1974) is an American scientist and writer based in Altadena, California. He is a data scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an associate project scientist at UCLA's Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science & Engineering.

In addition to his scientific work, he is the author of the book, Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution.[1][2] A documentary by the same title complements the book.[3] In addition to authoring articles about climate change, he is the founder of the website noflyclimatesci.org[4] and co-founder of the app, Earth Hero: Climate Change.

Education and early career

Kalmus attended Harvard University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in physics in 1997.[5] At Harvard, he used Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy to discover and categorize the quantum-mechanical rotational spectra of several cyanopolyynes which were subsequently found in interstellar clouds.[6] He then taught high school physics in Massachusetts and wrote software in New York City.[5] In 2004 he enrolled in graduate school at Columbia University and received his PhD in physics in 2008.[5] His PhD work involved searching for gravitational waves as a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (thesis: "Gravitational Waves Associated with Soft Gamma Repeater Flares").[7] He continued his work with LIGO as a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology, leading major full-collaboration searches for gravitational waves from magnetars,[8][9][10] gamma ray bursts[11] and supernovae[12] and contributing to the precise calibration of the world's gravitational wave observatories.[13]

Research

After focusing on LIGO related work for several years, Kalmus's focus transitioned into earth and climate science. Kalmus's recent research centers on cloud physics, specifically improving basic understanding of marine stratocumulus clouds[14] and severe convective weather such as tornadoes[15] with the goal of improving projections of how these phenomena will change as the planet heats, using remote sensing data, in situ data, and models. Marine stratocumulus clouds reflect incoming sunlight, cooling the planet, and are difficult to model accurately in climate models; this makes them a major source of uncertainty in climate projections.[14]

A common thread in his research is improving the utility of satellite observations of the Earth. His work on severe weather unlocks the potential of polar orbiting satellites to observe rapidly changing convective environments by using air parcel trajectory modeling to span the temporal gap between satellite overpass and convective initiation.[15] He has used in situ data from a ship-based campaign to bias-correct the CloudSat warm rain retrieval. He also uses in situ data to validate retrievals from the AIRS instrument on the Aqua (satellite).[16]

Recently, Kalmus has begun to work in the nascent field of ecological forecasting. He is the principal investigator on a NASA grant to study the projected future of the world's coral reefs with greater accuracy and higher resolution.[17] Coral reefs are rapidly succumbing to ocean heat waves and ocean acidification.[18]

He has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles in physics and Earth science, with a majority having come from his previous participation in the LIGO Collaboration.[19]

Activism and public engagement

Kalmus is a science communicator whose efforts center on shifting culture away from fossil fuel acceptability. He tweets as @ClimateHuman and as of April 2022 is the most-followed climate scientist on Twitter.[20] He focuses in particular on encouraging the Earth science and other academic communities to speak out with greater urgency on the need for climate action.[21]

He has been featured in many media outlets, including Mother Jones,[22] PRI's The World,[23] CBC Radio,[24] Deutsche Welle,[25] BuzzFeed,[26] The Intercept,[27] and Quartz,[28] and most often speaks to the need for an immediate and massive climate mobilization and how individuals can "vote" for this mobilization through their actions, via both activism and emissions reduction. He frequently speaks to the need for a carbon fee and dividend policy as part of the mobilization, in which fossil fuel becomes increasingly costly as the carbon fee rises every year and 100% of the net revenue is returned equitably to the people, making the policy fiscally progressive.

Kalmus lives on approximately one-tenth the fossil fuel of the average American.[29] He says this has made his life more satisfying and meaningful. In 2010, Kalmus realized the flying in planes accounted for roughly 3⁄4 of his greenhouse gas emissions, and he has not flown on a plane since 2012.[30] Kalmus believes that anyone can contribute to cultural shift by conspicuously modeling the change that needs to happen. He has stated that by "walking the talk" his advocacy has become more effective.[31]

Kalmus is a columnist and regular contributor at YES! magazine.[32] His writing has also appeared in The Guardian,[33] Eos, The Washington Post, and Grist.

On September 14, 2019, Kalmus tweeted "Never give up" and referenced his latest article, "How to live with the climate crisis without becoming a nihilist".[34][35]

Kalmus has been associated with the Movement for a People's Party, a progressive organization positioned as an alternative to the Democratic or Republican Party. After the first presidential debate of the 2020 election, Kalmus participated in a four-person response to the debate.[36]

In late‑2021, Kalmus likened his own experiences pushing for greater recognition of the climate problem with those of the two fictional astronomers portrayed in the comedy film Don't Look Up. He also compares absurd events in that film with a series of equally absurd and elusory events in our own world.[37]

Kalmus, along with other climate activists, chained himself to the main doors of the Charlotte Douglas International Airport private jet terminal on November 10, 2022. He was charged with trespassing.[38]

In December 2022, Kalmus and climate scientist Rose Abramoff briefly showed a banner at the eve of a plenary session of the American Geophysical Union's annual Fall Meeting with a call for scientists to engage in protest against climate change: " Out of the lab and into the streets » . AGU removed their research presentations from the meeting, banned them from participation, launched a misconduct inquiry, and complained to Abramoff's employer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Kalmus and Abramoff further claimed that AGU threatened to have them arrested if they returned to the meeting.[39] Abramoff was subsequently fired by Oak Ridge.[40] In January 2023, 1500 scientists signed an appeal to object to what happened to their colleagues.[41]

JP Morgan Chase building arrest

On April 6, 2022, Kalmus was arrested, along with a physicist, an engineer and a science teacher,[42] for chaining himself to the door of the JP Morgan Chase building in Los Angeles, protesting the bank's investments in new fossil fuel projects.[43] Writing in The Guardian in April 2022, Kalmus advocated civil disobedience following the release of the final IPCC Working Group III report. In the article, Kalmus says "It's now the eleventh hour and I feel terrified for my kids, and terrified for humanity. [...] But I'll keep fighting as hard as I can for this Earth, no matter how bad it gets, because it can always get worse".[43]

Flying Less movement

Kalmus is the founder of the website noflyclimatesci.org and a leading voice in the #FlyingLess movement.[44] He is pushing for the American Geophysical Union to support earth scientists who choose to fly less out of climate concerns, with remote participation options at conferences.[45]

School strike for climate

Kalmus was a lead organizer on two letters written in support of school striking youth, one from US Earth scientists[46] and one from international scholars.[47] His two sons have been regularly school striking on Fridays since 2018 as part of the Fridays for Future movement.[48]

Earth Hero

To help users track carbon emissions, Kalmus co-founded the smart phone app Earth Hero. It aims to help users reduce their emissions, shift culture with their reductions, and engage in other forms of climate activism such as protest and civil disobedience.[49]

Awards and recognition

Kalmus has won numerous awards both for his science and activism. He received the NASA Early Career Achievement Medal and three Jet Propulsion Laboratory Voyager Awards for his work in Earth science.[5] He is also a recipient of the inaugural Transition US Walking the Talk award.[50] He is a 2018 "Grist 50" fellow, one of the ten 2018 fellows classified as "Visionaries".[51]

His book, Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution won an IPPY Outstanding Book of the Year Award,[52] the Nautilus Book Award, and the Foreword Indies Book Award.

References

  1. ↑ Kalmus, Peter (July 10, 2017). Being the change: live well and spark a climate revolution. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society Publishers. ISBN 978-0-86571-853-1. Paperback edition.
  2. ↑ Sharwood, Anthony (June 27, 2017). "Why This NASA Jet Lab Scientist Will Never Go Near A Jet Again". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  3. ↑ Being the Change: A New Kind of Climate Documentary (2018) - IMDb, archived from the original on April 15, 2022, retrieved September 15, 2019
  4. ↑ "No Fly Climate Sci". Earth scientists flying less. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021. Website.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Peter Kalmus CV 2018" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  6. ↑ Thaddeus, P.; Gottlieb, C. A.; Kalmus, P.; McCarthy, M. C.; Travers, M. J. (November 20, 1996). "Laboratory Detection of the Cyanopolyyne HC13N". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 472 (1): L61. Bibcode:1996ApJ...472L..61T. doi:10.1086/310359. ISSN 1538-4357.
  7. ↑ Kalmus, Peter (April 28, 2009). "Search for Gravitational Wave Bursts from Soft Gamma Repeaters". arXiv:0904.4394. Bibcode:2009PhDT.......272K. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ↑ LIGO Scientific Collaboration; Abbott, B.; Abbott, R.; Adhikari, R.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Amin, R.; Anderson, S. B. (November 21, 2008). "Search for Gravitational-Wave Bursts from Soft Gamma Repeaters". Physical Review Letters. 101 (21): 211102. arXiv:0808.2050. Bibcode:2008PhRvL.101u1102A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.211102. PMID 19113401. S2CID 20300387.
  9. ↑ Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Adhikari, R.; Ajith, P.; Allen, B.; Allen, G.; Amin, R. S.; Anderson, S. B.; Anderson, W. G. (July 2009). "Stacked Search for Gravitational Waves from the 2006 SGR 1900$\mathplus$14 STORM" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 701 (2): L68–L74. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/701/2/L68. hdl:1721.1/95904. ISSN 1538-4357. S2CID 203045244.
  10. ↑ Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abernathy, M.; Accadia, T.; Acernese, F.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Affeldt, C. (June 2011). "Search for Gravitational Wave Bursts from Six Magnetars". The Astrophysical Journal. 734 (2): L35. arXiv:1011.4079. Bibcode:2011ApJ...734L..35A. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/734/2/L35. ISSN 2041-8205. S2CID 119120374.
  11. ↑ Abadie, J.; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, T. D.; Abbott, R.; Abernathy, M.; Adams, C.; Adhikari, R.; Affeldt, C.; Ajith, P. (July 2012). "Implications for the Origin of GRB 051103 from Ligo Observations". The Astrophysical Journal. 755 (1): 2. arXiv:1201.4413. Bibcode:2012ApJ...755....2A. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/755/1/2. ISSN 0004-637X. S2CID 15494223.
  12. ↑ LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration; Abbott, B. P.; Abbott, R.; Abbott, T. D.; Abernathy, M. R.; Acernese, F.; Ackley, K.; Adams, C.; Adams, T. (November 15, 2016). "First targeted search for gravitational-wave bursts from core-collapse supernovae in data of first-generation laser interferometer detectors". Physical Review D. 94 (10): 102001. arXiv:1605.01785. Bibcode:2016PhRvD..94j2001A. doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.94.102001. S2CID 217480132.
  13. ↑ Goetz, E; Kalmus, P; Erickson, S; Savage, R L; Gonzalez, G; Kawabe, K; Landry, M; Marka, S; O'Reilly, B (November 25, 2009). "Precise calibration of LIGO test mass actuators using photon radiation pressure". Classical and Quantum Gravity. 26 (24): 245011. arXiv:0910.5591. Bibcode:2009CQGra..26x5011G. doi:10.1088/0264-9381/26/24/245011. ISSN 0264-9381. S2CID 11311944.
  14. 1 2 Kalmus, Peter; Lebsock, Matthew; Teixeira, João (December 2014). "Observational Boundary Layer Energy and Water Budgets of the Stratocumulus-to-Cumulus Transition". Journal of Climate. 27 (24): 9155–9170. Bibcode:2014JCli...27.9155K. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-14-00242.1. ISSN 0894-8755.
  15. 1 2 Kalmus, Peter; Kahn, Brian H.; Freeman, Sean W.; van den Heever, Susan C. (May 2019). "Trajectory-Enhanced AIRS Observations of Environmental Factors Driving Severe Convective Storms". Monthly Weather Review. 147 (5): 1633–1653. Bibcode:2019MWRv..147.1633K. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-18-0055.1. ISSN 0027-0644.
  16. ↑ Kalmus, Peter; Sun Wong; Teixeira, Joao (July 2017). "The Pacific Subtropical Cloud Transition: A MAGIC Assessment of AIRS and ECMWF Thermodynamic Structure". IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters. 12 (7): 1586–1590. doi:10.1109/LGRS.2015.2413771. ISSN 1545-598X. S2CID 8487808.
  17. ↑ "Biological Diversity & Ecological Forecasting". cce.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  18. ↑ "No safe haven for coral from the combined impacts of warming and ocean acidification | NOAA Climate.gov". www.climate.gov. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Peter Kalmus' Publons profile". publons.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  20. ↑ "New most followed climate scientist". twitter.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  21. ↑ Kalmus, Peter. "To My Fellow Climate Scientists: Be Human, Be Brave, Speak Truth". Yes! Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  22. ↑ "What happens when you can see disaster unfolding, and nobody listens?". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  23. ↑ "How do we process doom-and-gloom climate news? How should we?". Public Radio International. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Climate scientist calls out 25,000 colleagues for flying to conference". CBC Radio. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  25. ↑ "German state education minister tells students to protest on their own time | DW | February 16, 2019". DW.COM. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  26. ↑ "These Scientists Are Radically Changing How They Live To Cope With Climate Change". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  27. ↑ Aronoff, Kate (July 5, 2019). "The PowerPoint That Got a Climate Scientist Disinvited From a Shell Conference". The Intercept. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  28. ↑ Neimark, Jill (May 16, 2016). "Stop screaming at us about climate change–and start inspiring us to take action". Quartz. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  29. ↑ Kalmus, Peter (2017). Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution. New Society. p. 144.
  30. ↑ Kalmus, Peter. "How Far Can We Get Without Flying?". Yes! Magazine. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  31. ↑ "What's the most effective way to talk about climate change?". theweek.com. July 15, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Peter Kalmus". YES! Magazine. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  33. ↑ Kalmus, Peter (December 11, 2017). "Why did climate scientists emit 30,000 tonnes of CO2 this weekend? | Peter Kalmus". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Opinion: How to live with the climate crisis without becoming a nihilist". Los Angeles Times. September 15, 2019. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Twitter". mobile.twitter.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  36. ↑ "Movement For A People's Party - A Party For Us". The People's Party. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  37. ↑ Kalmus, Peter (December 29, 2021). "I'm a climate scientist. Don't Look Up captures the madness I see every day". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  38. ↑ Boraks, David (November 11, 2022). "These climate scientists feel 'a higher calling' — civil disobedience". WFAE 90.7. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  39. ↑ McFall-Johnsen, Morgan (December 16, 2022). "2 climate activists got kicked out of the world's biggest Earth-science conference for protesting, and one says the association is 'silencing scientists'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  40. ↑ Abramoff, Rose (January 10, 2023). "I'm a Scientist Who Spoke Up About Climate Change. My Employer Fired Me". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  41. ↑ "Civil disobedience: 'Climate scientists are citizens and humans too'". Le Monde.fr. January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  42. ↑ "Climate Scientists Chained Themselves To A Downtown Bank's Doors In An Act Of Peaceful Protest. Police In Riot Gear Shut It Down". LAist. April 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  43. 1 2 Kalmus, Peter (April 6, 2022). "Climate scientists are desperate: we're crying, begging and getting arrested". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  44. ↑ Sci, No Fly Climate. "Welcome". Earth scientists flying less. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  45. ↑ "AGU Should Support Its Members Who Fly Less". Eos. December 7, 2018. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  46. ↑ Lemonick, Michael D. "An Open Letter Endorsing the Global School Strike for Climate". Scientific American Blog Network. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  47. ↑ Hagedorn, Gregor; Kalmus, Peter; Mann, Michael; Vicca, Sara; Van den Berge, Joke; van Ypersele, Jean-Pascal; Bourg, Dominique; Rotmans, Jan; Kaaronen, Roope; Rahmstorf, Stefan; Kromp-Kolb, Helga; Kirchengast, Gottfried; Knutti, Reto; Seneviratne, Sonia I; Thalmann, Philippe; Cretney, Raven; Green, Alison; Anderson, Kevin; Hedberg, Martin; Nilsson, Douglas; Kuttner, Amita; Hayhoe, Katharine (April 12, 2019). "Concerns of young protesters are justified". Science. 364 (6436): 139–140. Bibcode:2019Sci...364..139H. doi:10.1126/science.aax3807. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 30975882. S2CID 109938625. Retrieved November 5, 2021. Closed access icon
  48. ↑ "Youth Call for Action with Climate Strikes". EosS. March 14, 2019. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Earth Hero". Earth Hero. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Transition US Awards Ceremony Honors Movement Leaders | Transition US". www.transitionus.org. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Meet the people fixing your world". Grist. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  52. ↑ "Outstanding". www.ippyawards.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
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