Ian Burton
Ian Burton is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto and a Scientist Emeritus with the Climate Research Division of Environment Canada. He is currently a Lead Author for the IPCC 5th Assessment Report for the chapter on Climate Resilient Pathways, and was a Convening Lead Author for the recently completed Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.
Burton is now a co-chair (with Tony Oliver-Smith) of the Working Group on Forensic Investigations of Disaster (FORIN) being developed as part of the Programme Integrated Research on Disaster Risk organized and sponsored by ICSU, ISSC, and UN ISDR. FORIN seeks to gain deeper understanding of the fundamental causes of disaster and is currently developing a set of case studies to this end. Cooperation is invited. Copies of the report,” The FORIN Project. Forensic Investigations of Disasters” are available at www.irdrinternational.org This is an open source guide to the development of forensic investigations.
Burton is a co-author (with Robert W. Kates and Gilbert F. White) of The Environment as Hazard (Second Edition, Guilford Press 1993), and was a PhD student of Gilbert White at the University of Chicago. His most recent book is the Earthscan Reader on Adaptation to Climate Change edited with E. Lisa F. Schipper.
Burton is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Trustee of the World Academy of Arts and Science.
