Michael Oppenheimer, born in 1946, graduated in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1966 and obtained his Ph.D. in chemical physics at the University of Chicago in 1970. In 1981 Oppenheimer joined the non-governmental organization Environmental Defense where he became leader of the global and regional atmosphere program and serves as science advisor to this day. Since 2002 he teaches geosciences and international affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey. His research explores the potential effects of global warming and ways to interpret and implement the objective of avoiding “dangerous anthropogenic interference” with the climate system. Professor Oppenheimer has served as a lead author of the third and fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.