Robert Watson received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from London University in 1973. From 1976 to 1993 he worked as a scientist at the US space agency NASA with his research focusing on, inter alia, atmospheric chemistry. He was Chief Scientist for the Office of Mission to Planet Earth before he joined US President Bill Clinton’s Office of Science and Technology Policy as Associate Director for the Environment. Professor Watson has testified to the U.S. Congress on numerous occasions regarding global environmental issues. In May 1996, he joined the World Bank as Senior Scientific Advisor in the Environment Department. From 1997 to 2002, he was Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Currently he is the Chief Scientist and Director for Sustainable Development at the World Bank and Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia.