Kenneth Hare facts for kids

Fredrick Kenneth Hare (February 5, 1919 – September 3, 2002) was a famous Canadian climatologist and academic. A climatologist is a scientist who studies Earth's climate and weather patterns over long periods. An academic is someone who works as a professor or researcher at a university.

Kenneth Hare spent his career researching important topics like atmospheric carbon dioxide (a gas in the air), climate change, and drought (long periods of dry weather). He was also a strong supporter of protecting our natural environment. He received many high honors for his work, including the Order of Canada.

Early Life and Education

Kenneth Hare was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1919. He went to King's College London and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1939.

During World War II, he worked as a meteorologist for the UK Air Ministry. A meteorologist is a scientist who studies the weather. After the war, he moved to Canada and joined McGill University as a professor. In 1950, he earned his PhD in Geography from the Université de Montréal.

A Career in Academia

Kenneth Hare had a long and impressive career in universities.

Leadership Roles

From 1962, he was the Dean of Arts and Science at McGill University. A Dean is a senior leader in a university, in charge of a specific faculty like Arts or Science.

In 1964, he returned to England. He became the Master of Birkbeck College from 1966 to 1968. During this time, he also served as the president of the Royal Meteorological Society.

In 1968, he became the fifth president of the University of British Columbia in Canada. He held this important leadership role until 1969.

Professor and Director

In 1974, Kenneth Hare joined the University of Toronto (U of T). He became a professor of both geography and physics. From 1974 to 1979, he was the director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at the U of T. This institute focused on studying environmental issues.

Later, from 1979 to 1986, he was the Provost of Trinity College. A Provost is a high-ranking academic officer in a university.

From 1988 to 1995, he served as the sixth Chancellor of Trent University. The Chancellor is usually the ceremonial head of a university.

From 1992 until his death in 2002, he led Canada's national Climate Program Planning Board. This board helped plan how Canada would deal with climate issues.

Research and Environmental Work

Kenneth Hare was very interested in how our planet's climate works and how we affect it.

Key Research Areas

His main research topics included:

• Atmospheric carbon dioxide: He studied how much carbon dioxide was in the air. This gas is known to affect Earth's temperature.
• Climate change: He researched how the Earth's climate was changing over time.
• Drought: He studied long periods of very dry weather.
• Arid zone climates: These are climates found in very dry areas like deserts.

Protecting the Environment

Kenneth Hare was a strong voice for protecting the natural world. He was part of many groups and committees that looked into environmental problems. These included:

• Acid rain: Rain that is more acidic than normal, which can harm plants and animals.
• Desertification: When fertile land becomes desert-like.
• Heavy metals: Harmful metals that can pollute the environment.
• Nuclear reactors and their waste: He studied how to safely manage waste from nuclear power plants.
• Ozone: A gas in the atmosphere that protects us from the sun's harmful rays.
• Greenhouse gases: Gases like carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere.

He believed that climate change caused by burning too many fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and natural gas) was the biggest environmental challenge for Canada. He suggested that well-managed nuclear power could be a good alternative to fossil fuels. Throughout his life, Kenneth Hare gave many speeches and wrote a lot about these important issues.

Awards and Honours

Kenneth Hare received many awards for his important contributions.

In 1974, he was awarded the Massey Medal. In 1978, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 1987, he was promoted to Companion, which is a very high honour.

In 1987, he received the Sir John William Dawson Medal from the Royal Society of Canada. This award is for important contributions to knowledge in many different fields. In the same year, he was given the Cullum Geographical Medal by the American Geographical Society.

In 1989, he received the Order of Ontario and the International Meteorological Organization Prize from the World Meteorological Organization. He also received honorary degrees from 11 different universities.