Congratulations to UBoC trustee, Piers Forster, who has been awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours for his ongoing work to tackle climate change.
As well as being one of the UBoC trustees, Piers is one of the UK’s foremost climate scientists and a Professor of Physical Climate Change at the University of Leeds. He also has several roles advising industry and government and was appointed a member of the UK Climate Change Committee in 2019, holding the position of Interim Chair from 2023 until July 2025.
Piers has contributed to the writing of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and leads Indicators of Global Climate Change, which provides annual updates on the state of the climate and how it is changing because of human activity.
Piers is patron of climate action charity Zero Carbon Harrogate and a long-time supporter of Long Lands Common – Harrogate and Knaresborough’s first ever community-owned woodlands project. A section of its woodland has been named after Piers in recognition of his outstanding work in the field of climate change research, environmental education and leadership.
“I feel very humbled to have received this award,” Piers said about his CBE. “I’ve spent my career collecting evidence on the benefits of climate action and along the way I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great colleagues on climate research and climate policy. I love my work, and I feel privileged to do it. As we mark the end of another year of record-breaking UK temperatures, it feels more important than ever.”
