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Scholars

Simon L. Lewis

University College London and University of Leeds

Based in

United Kingdom
Europe

I am Professor of Global Change Science, at both University College London and the University of Leeds. My main research interests are to understand how humans are changing the Earth system, with a focus on the topics and the global carbon cycle. I am interested in net zero plans, negative emissions, and greenwash by governments and companies. My teams scientific discoveries include the globally significant carbon sink in intact tropical forests, the evolution of the carbon sink; and the world’s largest tropical peatland complex in central Congo. I co-founded and co-manage the African Tropical Rainforest Observatory (www.afritron.net). In 2018 I published, with Mark Maslin, The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene (Penguin), and exploration of the science, history and politics of the Anthropocene, an Observer book of the year and shortlisted for the Azimov Prize.

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Publications

Articles

“Wannes Hubau, Simon L Lewis, et al. 2020. Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests. Nature 579 (7797), 80-87.

Martin JP Sullivan, Simon L Lewis, et al. 2020. Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests, Science, 368, 869-874.

Simon L. Lewis et al. 2019, Regenerate natural forests to store carbon. Nature 568, 25-28.

Alex Koch et al. … Simon L. Lewis 2019 Earth system impacts of the European arrival and Great Dying in the Americas after 1492. Quaternary Science Reviews 207, 13-36.

Greta C Dargie, Simon L. Lewis, et al. 2017. Age, extent and carbon storage of the central Congo Basin peatland complex. Nature, 542, 86-90.

Simon L. Lewis, 2016. The Paris Agreement has solved a troubling problem. Nature, 532, 283.

Simon L Lewis, et al. 2015. Increasing human dominance of tropical forests. Science, 349, 827-832.

Simon L. Lewis, Mark A. Maslin 2015. Defining the Anthropocene. Nature, 519, 171-180.

Simon L. Lewis 2014. Scientist-versus-activist debates mislead the public. Nature, 506, 409.

Aerin L. Jacob, Sarah Jane Wilson, & Simon L. Lewis 2014. Forests are more than sticks of carbon. Nature, 507, 306.

Simon L. Lewis et al. 2011. The 2010 Amazon Drought. Science, 331, 554.

Simon L. Lewis 2009. Carbon emissions: the poorest forest dwellers could suffer. Nature, 462, 567-567.