Politicians and green advocates want to keep the focus on limiting global warming to 1.5C, even though scientists say the planet is already on track to soon breach the target. Professor Kim Cobb offered commentary on the issue, noting that people are “more and more talking about how we can limit overshoot.”
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Department of Earth, Environmental & Planetary Sciences
Kim Cobb
Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Professor
GeoChem Building
Room 133
Room 133
Research Interests
Earth History, Environmental Science, Geochemistry, Oceans Ice and Atmospheres
Biography
Kim Cobb is the Lawrence and Barbara Margolis Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, and Professor in Environment and Society as well as Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences. As a climate scientist, she uses observations of past and present climate to advance our understanding of future climate change impacts, with a focus on climate extremes and coastal flooding. She received her B.A. from Yale University in 1996, and her Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in 2002.
Prior to joining Brown in 2022, Kim served as Director of the Global Change Program at Georgia Institute of Technology, Professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and ADVANCE Professor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She has received an NSF CAREER Award, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and the Hans Oeschger Medal from the European Geosciences Union in 2019. She was elected as an AAAS Fellow in 2021, and was a Lead Author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, released in 2021. In 2023 she was appointed to President Biden’s Intelligence Advisory Board, and was elected as one of the 2023 American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Fellows.
As a mother to four, Kim is a strong advocate for women in science, and champions diversity and inclusion in all that she does. She is also devoted to the communication of climate change to the public through media appearances, public speaking, and social media channels, and enjoys frequent exchanges with policymakers about climate impacts and solutions.
Recent News
UK-based scientists have used a new calculation method to find that global temperature rise is nearly at the Paris Agreement limit. DEEPS Professor and IBES Director Kim Cobb offered commentary on the study, saying it presents "a new approach to an age-old and critical question."
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News from Brown
Students, loved ones reunite for Family Weekend at Brown
Kim Cobb, a professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences and Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, delivered the Family Weekend keynote about the inflection point at which the world finds itself — and the numerous ways that the current generation of students is rising to face critical climate challenges through research and action. “I am extremely optimistic, mostly because the work that we’re doing here at Brown is illustrative of the engagement of this institution, and our entire community in making solutions that are durable and equitable,” Cobb said.
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IBES Director and DEEPS Professor Kim Cobb noted that Hurricanes Helene and Milton "should serve 'as a wake up call' for emergency preparedness, resilience planning and the increased use of fossil fuels."
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Since last July, Earth’s average temperature has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. IBES Director and DEEPS Professor Kim Cobb spoke with the Washington Post about this trend, saying “We’re dancing about a climate average that is very dangerous for communities and ecosystems around the world.” Read more.
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Alumni & Friends
Brown experts on public health in a changing climate
Brown University leaders Ashish K. Jha and Kim Cobb discuss the intersection of climate change and people’s health, the challenges of our information ecosystem, and how the University’s collaborative efforts are fostering innovative solutions and preparing future leaders.
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