Peter Kalmus

Dr. Peter Kalmus is a climate activist and climate scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At NASA, he uses satellite data and models to study the rapidly changing Earth, focusing on extreme heat and human health, ecosystem breakdown, and severe weather. He is the recipient of NASA’s prestigious Early Career Achievement Medal and has over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Dr. Kalmus started his career in astrophysics, obtaining a B.Sc. in physics from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University. He made a major career switch into climate science in 2012 due to his mounting concern about global warming.

As an activist, Dr. Kalmus was the first US organizer of Fridays For Future; he co-founded Earth Hero, the world’s most popular climate app; and he co-founded the Climate Ad Project, the first ad agency for the Earth. He is the author of the award-winning book, "Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution," and a regular op-ed contributor to The Guardian.

Dr. Kalmus personally cut his emissions to below a tenth of the US average, and found that this made his life more interesting, satisfying, and joyful -- not less. He now does everything he can to spread this message and to help humanity transition away from fossil fuels. He believes that the problem is not only technological or scientific, but also spiritual: it calls humans to set aside the notion that we are exceptional within the web of life, and instead to live, gratefully, in alignment with the biosphere.