Ian Lowe

Ian Lowe is emeritus professor of science, technology and society at Griffith University and holds adjunct appointments at two other universities. He has filled a wide range of advisory roles in Australia, is author of twelve books and over 100 other publications, and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. He has been a reviewer for several global environmental studies and in 2009 the International Academy of Sciences, Health and Ecology awarded him the Konrad Lorenz Gold Medal.

Ian Lowe reviews 'The Optimistic Environmentalist' by David R. Boyd

March 2016, no. 379 • 24 February 2016

This is a timely and important book, a message of hope when human civilisation is on a metaphorical Titanic steaming toward an ecological iceberg, with the short-sighted or unprincipled throwing coal into the boilers. My heart sank when I saw the title. I expected more mindless cheer-mongering: blanket assertions of faith that human ingenuity and economic growth will solve all our problems. So it ... (read more)

Ian Lowe reviews 'Letters to my Grandchildren' by David Suzuki

October 2015, no. 375 • 28 September 2015

David Suzuki is well known in this country. Since he was brought to Australia by the Commission for the Future nearly thirty years ago, he has been back for many festivals and conferences. Truly a man of many parts, he was a distinguished geneticist and a leading professor in the field when it emerged as a separate discipline within the biological sciences. As a famous science communicator, he mad ... (read more)

Ian Lowe reviews 'Collision Course: Endless growth on a finite planet' by Kerryn Higgs

November 2014, no. 366 • 01 November 2014

This clear and cogent book is an important wake-up call. It should not need saying that it is impossible for human populations and economies to grow without limit on a finite planet, but that delusion is widespread. This book is a reminder of the inconvenient truth that should be informing our leaders, as well as an excellent analysis of the way public understanding of our global predicament has b ... (read more)