Jill Jäger MCH (Making Climate History) Oral History Interview

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jill Jäger conducted by Sarah Dry on 15th and 16th November, 2021 as part of the Making Climate History project. Time-Stamped Summary Track One Early life in Sale [I: 00:58] Final years of schooling and choosing a university [I: 07:09] Appeal of University of East Anglia and ‘Environmental Sciences’ [I: 12:06] Experience at UEA [I:13:18] Appeal of interdisciplinarity in geography and in ES at UEA [I:18:01] Experience at UEA continued [I: 19:39] Deciding on PhD programs in the States [I: ~25:00:00] Early computer work at UEA [I: 30:54] Memories of arriving in Boulder for PhD [I: 32:41] Phd topic on modeling the ice age climate and joint initiative with NCAR [I: ~37:00:00] Memories of early climate models [I: 40:00] Field trips in Boulder, CO [I: 46:37] Recollections of Ed Lorenz [I: 53:58] Idea of the ’System’ (of systems-thinking): [I: 1:02:53] Recollections of PhD defense, completing her doctorate at 24 [I: 1:03:38] Work on temperature, pressure, and precipitation trends with Harry Van Loon [I: 1:12:29] Evidence of Arctic warming [I: 1:16:23] Track Two Relationship between models and empirical data [II: 05:01] Return to the UK (Norwich) and time at CRU: [II: 07:51] Being hired by Wolf Hafele at IIASA [The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis] [II: ~08;00] Culture shock of returning (albeit briefly) to CRU [II: 16:53] Learning curve of IIASA and early experiences there [II: 23:31] Climate modelling and systems analysis, limits thereof [II: 33:01] Nuclear power [II: 39:17] Meeting Fredy Jäger, her husband [II: 40:36] Studies, and critiques of, energy systems [II: 46:25] Recollections of Dennis and Dana Meadows [II: 54:38] ‘Man’s world’ of IIASA and science more broadly [II: 58:07] Return to NCAR post-IIASA [II: 1:03:27] 1978 workshop on ‘Carbon Dioxide, Climate and Society’ [II: 1:04:58] 1979 World Climate Conference [II: 1:17:23] Track Three Decision to work as a consultant, first child born [III: 02:04] Work on preparing the 1985 Villach Conference [III11:35] Important change between focusing on CO2 and including other greenhouse gases in projections [III: 18:17] Recollections of Villach Conference [III: 20:39] Work with advisory group on greenhouse gases with Beijer Institute in Stockholm [III: 28:23] Inclusion of ‘decision-makers’ in subsequent meetings on climate change [III: 33:29] Recollections of the World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere: Implications for Global Security in Toronto, 1988 [III: 39:20] Political pressure by the US, post Villach and Bellagio, to have more government-led focus on climate change resulting in IPCC [III: 48:00] Recollections of Bert Bolin [III: 53:30] Recollections of Second World Climate Conference 1990, shift towards including ministerial and political actors [III: 58:15] Importance of clear and synthetic writing (Jäger’s) under pressure at all of these conferences [III: 1:03:31] Track Four Balancing work and family [IV: 00:09] Role and work at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy [IV: 12:13] Returning to IIASA as Deputy Director [IV: 12:59] Role of modeling at IIASA [IV: 36:02] Defining ‘dangerous’ in relation to climate change [IV: 40:13] Relationship between IIASA and IPCC [IV: 43:06] Feelings about the future in relation to actions on climate change [IV: 52:21] Human Dimensions Programme [IV: 55:19] Emergence of the idea of ‘integrated assessment’ [IV: 1:08:12] Emergence and evolution of idea of ‘sustainability science’ [IV: 1:10:45] MATISSE project, CLIMSAVE project and power of scenarios [IV: 1:16:22] Distinctions between ‘problem-oriented’ and ’solutions-oriented’ work [IV: 1:25:43] Passion for the value and utility of scenarios [IV: 1:32:07]