Ian Lowe (born 3 November 1942) is an Australian academic and writer focused on

environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...

. A

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

graduate, he is an Emeritus Professor of

Science, Technology and Society Science and technology studies (STS) or science, technology, and society is an interdisciplinary field that examines the creation, development, and consequences of science and technology in their historical, cultural, and social contexts. Histo ...

and former Head of the School of Science at

Griffith University Griffith University is a public university, public research university in South East Queensland on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith ...

. He is also an adjunct professor at Sunshine Coast University and

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

. Lowe has authored or co-authored 10 books, 10 Open University books, more than 50 book chapters and over 500 other publications. Books by Lowe include '' A Big Fix'', ''

Reaction Time Mental chronometry is the scientific study of processing speed or reaction time on cognitive tasks to infer the content, duration, and temporal sequencing of mental operations. Reaction time (RT; also referred to as "response time") is measured ...

'', '' Living in the Hothouse'', ''Why vs Why: Nuclear Power'', ''A Voice of Reason: Reflections on Australia'', ''Bigger or Better? Australia's Population Debate'', ''The Lucky Country? Reinventing Australia'' and ''Long Half-life: The Nuclear Industry in Australia''.

Career

In 1996, Lowe was chair-person of the advisory council producing the first national report on the state of Australia's environment. He is a patron of Sustainable Population Australia. One of his principal interests is the way policy decisions influence use of science and technology, especially in the fields of energy and environment. He wrote for 13 years a regular column for ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...

'' and also writes for several other publications, as well as contributing frequently to electronic media programs. Lowe was a member of the Australian Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council from 2002 to 2014 and a former member or chair of many other bodies advising all three levels of government in Australia. He was President of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 2004 to 2014. In April 2015 Lowe was appointed to the Expert Advisory Committee for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission in South Australia. He is currently Emeritus Professor of

and former Head of the School of Science at

. He is also an adjunct professor at Sunshine Coast University and

Energy advocacy

Lowe sees the

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...

option for electricity generation as being risky and unworkable. He says nuclear power installations peaked last century and in the past 20 years, retirements, cancellations and deferments have outnumbered new reactor construction. Lowe says nuclear power is too expensive, with insurmountable problems associated with waste disposal and weapons proliferation. It is also not a fast enough response to address climate change. Lowe advocates for

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

which he claims is "quicker, less expensive and less dangerous than nuclear".

Awards

Lowe was made an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

in 2001 for services to science, technology, and the environment. In 2002 he was awarded a

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

for contributions to environmental science and won the Eureka Prize for promotion of science. His contributions have also been recognised by the Prime Minister's Environment Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement, the Queensland Premier's Millennium Award for Excellence in Science and the University of NSW Alumni Award for achievement in science. Lowe was named Humanist of the Year in 1988.He was awarded the Konrad Lorenz Gold Medal by the International Academy of Science in 200
Professor Ian Lowe
He was President of the Australian Conservation Foundation from 2004 to April 2014. In 2009 the International Academy of Sciences, Health and Ecology awarded him the Konrad Lorenz Gold Medal. In 2019, the University of New South Wales recognised his body of published work by the award of a higher doctorate, Doctor of Science .Sc.

Bibliography

Books

* *''

Reaction time Mental chronometry is the scientific study of processing speed or reaction time on cognitive tasks to infer the content, duration, and temporal sequencing of mental operations. Reaction time (RT; also referred to as "response time") is measured ...

'' *'' Living in the Hothouse'' *''Why vs Why: Nuclear Power'' *''A Voice of Reason: Reflections on Australia'' *''Bigger or Better? Australia's Population Debate'' *''The Lucky Country? Reinventing Australia'' *

Articles and other contributions

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20070406224629/http://www.acfonline.org.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=486 *http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/stories/s1421383.htm *http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/clever/biog.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20061002152508/http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/alnarc/onlineforum/AL_ath_lowe.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowe, Ian 1942 births Living people Australian anti–nuclear power activists Australian climate activists Non-fiction environmental writers People associated with energy Quarterly Essay people Academic staff of Queensland University of Technology Australian environmentalists Academic staff of the University of Adelaide University of New South Wales alumni Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Officers of the Order of Australia