Crispin Tickell
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Sir Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO FRSGS (Hon.) FRIBA (Hon.) FRI (Hon.) FCIWEM (Hon.) (25 August 1930–) is a British diplomat, environmentalist and academic.
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[edit] Background
After secondary education at Westminster School as a King's Scholar, he went to Christ Church, Oxford, graduating in 1952 with first class honours in Modern History.[1] He did his national service in the Coldstream Guards as a 2nd Lieutenant between 1952 and 1954.
[edit] Diplomatic career
Tickell joined the British diplomatic service in 1954, serving at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London until 1955 when he moved to the British Embassy in The Hague. He was later Chef de Cabinet to the President of the European Commission (1977-1980), British Ambassador to Mexico (1981-1983), Permanent Secretary of the Official Development Assistance (now Department for International Development) (1984-1987), and British Ambassador to the United Nations and Permanent Representative on the UN Security Council (1987-1990).
He was appointed MVO in 1958 and later knighted as a KCVO in 1983 on the Royal Yacht Britannia, to mark the conclusion of Queen Elizabeth's State Visit to Mexico. He was appointed GCMG for his work at the UN in 1988.
[edit] Academic career
Sir Crispin was President of the Royal Geographical Society from 1990 to 1993 and Warden of Green College, Oxford between 1990 and 1997, where he appointed George Monbiot and Norman Myers as Visiting Fellows. From 1996 until August of 2006 he was chancellor of the University of Kent when Sir Robert Worcester took over the position. He is currently director of the Policy Foresight Programme of the James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization at the University of Oxford (formerly the Green College Centre for Environmental Policy and Understanding) and Chairman Emeritus of the Climate Institute, in Washington DC. He has many interests, including climate change, population issues, conservation of biodiversity and the early history of the Earth.
His worldwide status as an authority on climate change is all the more surprising because he has no formal academic training in this area and has formed his opinion by self-teaching.
Tickell helped to write Margaret Thatcher's speech on global climate change[2]. He chaired John Major's Government Panel on Sustainable Development (1994-2000), and was a member of two government task forces under the Labour Party: one on Urban Regeneration, chaired by Sir Richard Rogers (1998-1999), and one on Potentially Hazardous Near-Earth Objects (2000).
[edit] Public Impact
A man of strong environmental convictions, he has been described as influential in Britain, although his environmental message has not always travelled as easily abroad, particularly to the United States. Despite his non-scientific background, he is internationally respected as having a strong grasp of science policy issues. He has been the recipient, between 1990 and 2006, of 23 honorary doctorates[3].
He is currently the president of the UK charity TREE AID[3], which enables communities in Africa's drylands to fight poverty and become self-reliant, while improving the environment.
[edit] Former appointments
- Non-executive Director, IBM UK (1990-1995)
- Trustee, Natural History Museum (1992-2001)
- Trustee, Baring Foundation (1992-2002)
[edit] Publications
- Climate Change and World Affairs, with a preface by Solly Zuckerman (1977, second edition 1986, Harvard International Affairs Committee). second edition available online in full
- Mary Anning of Lyme Regis, with a preface by John Fowles (1996, 1998 and 2003).
[edit] Styles and Honours
- Mr Crispin Tickell (1930-1958)
- Mr Crispin Tickell MVO (1958-1983)
- Sir Crispin Tickell KCVO (1983-1988)
- Sir Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO (1988-)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] Offices held
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Adam Thomson |
UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations 1987–1990 |
Succeeded by David Hannay |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Robert Horton |
Chancellor of the University of Kent 1995–2006 |
Succeeded by Sir Robert Worcester |
