Timothy Michael Lenton (born July 1973) is Professor of

Climate Change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and

Earth System Science Earth system science (ESS) is the application of systems science to the Earth. In particular, it considers interactions and 'feedbacks', through material and energy fluxes, between the Earth's sub-systems' cycles, processes and "spheres"—atmosp ...

at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

. He was awarded a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2013, and was appointed OBE in June 2025.

Background

He graduated with a first-class degree in natural sciences from

Robinson College, Cambridge Robinson College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1977, it is one of the newest Oxbridge colleges and is unique in having been intended, from its inception, for both ...

in 1994 and completed his PhD under Andrew Watson at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

in 1998.

Gaia hypothesis

Lenton has taken an interest in the

Gaia hypothesis The Gaia hypothesis (), also known as the Gaia theory, Gaia paradigm, or the Gaia principle, proposes that living organisms interact with their Inorganic compound, inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a Synergy, synergistic and Homeostasis, s ...

for much of his career. Early in his career, in the journal ''

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

'', Lenton addressed a concern that the Gaia hypothesis was incompatible with the theory of

natural selection Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the Heredity, heritable traits characteristic of a population over generation ...

by demonstrating that a model based on Daisyworld was strengthened by incorporating natural selection. Lenton, with Andy Watson, co-authored the book ''Revolutions that Made the Earth''; it expands on the ideas of

James Lovelock James Ephraim Lovelock (26 July 1919 – 26 July 2022) was an English independent scientist, environmentalist and futurist. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the Earth functions as a self-regulating syst ...

on the Gaia hypothesis, by highlighting mechanisms by which the Earth system has been stabilised by negative feedbacks throughout Earth history.

Climate change

Impacts

Lenton has participated in studies of possible population displacement due to climate change.

Tipping points

Lenton has been called 'a leading tipping point expert'. Lenton was awarded the OBE in the King's Birthday Honours, 2025, for services to understanding climate tipping points.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenton, Tim 1973 births Living people Alumni of Robinson College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of East Anglia Academics of the University of East Anglia Fellows of the Geological Society of London Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society of Biology Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders Officers of the Order of the British Empire