In a time when the biological sciences were increasingly focused on the molecular and cellular level, Woodwell was steadfast in believing that ecosystem-level understanding was critical. He started and led ecological research programs within the University of Maine, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the Marine Biological Laboratory before coming to the conclusion that the work the world needed required a new and independent organization of its own—one that not only did the science, but also actively helped decision-makers put it to use. He called it the Woods Hole Research Center; four years ago, we renamed ourselves Woodwell Climate Research Center. George Woodwell’s vision continues to guide our work and is infused in the very walls of our campus.
In addition to this Center that now bears his name, Woodwell was instrumental in the founding of preeminent U.S. environmental advocacy organizations—Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, and World Resources Institute. He also recognized the need for international policy and governance to address climate change, guided by global scientific expertise. He played important roles in the creation of what became the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was recognized in 2007 with a Nobel Peace Prize, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change—the treaty that has driven and guided international climate negotiations for more than thirty years.
