• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024
  • About

R. Max Holmes

Woodwell Climate Research Center

President & Chief Executive Officer

Dr. R. Max Holmes is motivated by a vision of science that connects people with each other and the natural world, and which makes a positive impact in society.  He joined Woodwell Climate Research Center as a scientist in 2005 and served as Deputy Director for five years prior to becoming President and CEO in 2021.  His own research has spanned the globe–from the Siberian Arctic to the tropical Amazon–focusing on how climate change and other disturbances impact water and chemical cycles in the environment.  He is also interested in the vast quantities of ancient carbon held in Arctic permafrost, which may be released as permafrost thaws, exacerbating global warming.  Max remains active in Science on the Fly, an initiative that unites the fly-fishing and science communities to study and protect rivers around the world.  He previously served as director of the US National Science Foundation’s Arctic Systems Science Program and was elected National Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2015.Dr. R. Max Holmes is motivated by a vision of science that connects people with each other and the natural world, and which makes a positive impact in society.  He joined Woodwell Climate Research Center as a scientist in 2005 and served as Deputy Director for five years prior to becoming President and CEO in 2021.  His own research has spanned the globe–from the Siberian Arctic to the tropical Amazon–focusing on how climate change and other disturbances impact water and chemical cycles in the environment.  He is also interested in the vast quantities of ancient carbon held in Arctic permafrost, which may be released as permafrost thaws, exacerbating global warming.  Max remains active in Science on the Fly, an initiative that unites the fly-fishing and science communities to study and protect rivers around the world.  He previously served as director of the US National Science Foundation’s Arctic Systems Science Program and was elected National Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2015.

Sessions With R. Max Holmes

Monday, 6 March

  • 05:30pm - 06:00pm (CST) / 06/mar/2023 11:30 pm - 07/mar/2023 12:00 am

    Preserving the Amazon

    The Amazon rainforest plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate, with its more than 390 billion trees storing massive amounts of carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas driving climate change. But the Amazon is under increasing threat from human activities resulting in an uptick in deforestation. How can we preserve this critical natural greenhouse gas sink before it is too late?

Tuesday, 7 March

  • 08:30am - 09:00am (CST) / 07/mar/2023 02:30 pm - 07/mar/2023 03:00 pm

    How Feasible Is 1.5°C?

    The world has already warmed by about 1.1°C, and studies suggest temperatures could cross 1.5°C within a decade. World leaders, activists and some scientists say the 1.5°C target is still feasible—barely, but at least it is technically possible. Is the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goal already lost? How important is it to hold on to it?