Andrew Revkin
Encyclopedia
Andrew C. Revkin is a journalist and author who has spent a quarter of a century covering subjects ranging from the assault on the Amazon to the Asian tsunami, from the troubled relationship of science and politics to climate change
at the North Pole
. From 1995 through 2009, he covered the environment for The New York Times
. He is currently the senior fellow at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies at Pace University and continues to write his "Dot Earth" blog for The Times Op-Ed section. Previous jobs include senior editor positions at both Discover Magazine and Science Digest
.
in 1978 with a degree in Biology. He later received a Master's in Journalism from Columbia.
In 2003, Revkin became the first Times reporter to file stories from the North Pole
area and in 2005-6 broke stories about the Bush administration
's interference with scientific research, particularly at NASA
.
In 2010, he is joining Pace University's Academy for Applied Environmental Studies as Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding.
Revkin has also written books on the once and future Arctic
, the Amazon
, and global warming. He was interviewed by Seed magazine about his book The North Pole was Here, which was published in 2006. He stressed that "the hard thing to convey in print as journalists, and for society to absorb, is that this is truly a century-scale problem."
Two films have been based on his work. The Burning Season
, a prize-winning HBO film starring Raul Julia
and directed by John Frankenheimer
, was based on Revkin's eponymous biography of Chico Mendes
, the slain defender of the Amazon rain forest. Rock Star
, starring Mark Wahlberg
and Jennifer Aniston
, was based on "A Metal-Head Becomes a Metal-God. Heavy," a 1997 New York Times article by Revkin. The article described how a singer in a Judas Priest
tribute band rose to replace his idol in the real band. Revkin is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who sometimes backs up Pete Seeger
and is part of Uncle Wade, a blues-roots band.
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
at the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
. From 1995 through 2009, he covered the environment for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. He is currently the senior fellow at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies at Pace University and continues to write his "Dot Earth" blog for The Times Op-Ed section. Previous jobs include senior editor positions at both Discover Magazine and Science Digest
Science Digest
Science Digest was a monthly American magazine published by the Hearst Corporation from 1937 through 1986. It initially had an 8 x 5 inch format with about 100 pages, and was targeted at persons with a high school education level...
.
Life and career
He graduated from Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1978 with a degree in Biology. He later received a Master's in Journalism from Columbia.
In 2003, Revkin became the first Times reporter to file stories from the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
area and in 2005-6 broke stories about the Bush administration
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's interference with scientific research, particularly at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
In 2010, he is joining Pace University's Academy for Applied Environmental Studies as Senior Fellow for Environmental Understanding.
Revkin has also written books on the once and future Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
, the Amazon
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
, and global warming. He was interviewed by Seed magazine about his book The North Pole was Here, which was published in 2006. He stressed that "the hard thing to convey in print as journalists, and for society to absorb, is that this is truly a century-scale problem."
Two films have been based on his work. The Burning Season
The Burning Season (1994 film)
The Burning Season is a 1994 television movie directed by John Frankenheimer. The film chronicled Chico Mendes's fight to protect the rainforest.-Plot:...
, a prize-winning HBO film starring Raul Julia
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Juliá y Arcelay was a Puerto Rican actor.Born in San Juan, he gained interest in acting while still in school. Upon completing his studies, Juliá decided to pursue a career in acting. After performing in the local scene for some time, he was convinced by entertainment personality Orson...
and directed by John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer
John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...
, was based on Revkin's eponymous biography of Chico Mendes
Chico Mendes
Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes , was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and indigenous peoples...
, the slain defender of the Amazon rain forest. Rock Star
Rock Star (2001 film)
Rock Star is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Herek and starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. It tells the story of Chris "Izzy" Cole, a tribute band singer whose ascendance to the position of lead vocalist of his favorite band was inspired by the real-life story of Tim...
, starring Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
and Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
, was based on "A Metal-Head Becomes a Metal-God. Heavy," a 1997 New York Times article by Revkin. The article described how a singer in a Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
tribute band rose to replace his idol in the real band. Revkin is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who sometimes backs up Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and is part of Uncle Wade, a blues-roots band.
Awards
- 2008 John Chancellor AwardJohn Chancellor AwardJohn Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism is an annual award of $25,000, selected by a panel of journalists, for quality reporting.Established in 1995, the award was formerly administered by the University of Pennsylvania, and is administered by the Columbia University Graduate School of...
from Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. - 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship
Works
- The North Pole Was Here: Puzzles and Perils at the Top of the World, Baker & Taylor, CATS, 2009, ISBN 9781442034297
- The Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest, Island Press, 2004, ISBN 9781559630894
- Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast, Abbeville Press, 1992
External links
- Andrew C. Revkin - Biography at the NYTimes
- Dot Earth - Revkin's Blog at the New York Times
- Revkin Videos - Revkin's YouTube channel.
- Video of Revkin accepting the John Chancellor Award
- "9 Billion People + 1 Planet = ?" Andrew Revkin's interview with Vaclav Smil at the Quantum to Cosmos festival at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical PhysicsPerimeter Institute for Theoretical PhysicsPerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, resident-based research institute devoted to foundational issues in theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Perimeter Institute was founded in 1999 by Mike Lazaridis...
. - New York Times review of "The Burning Season."
- New York Times article that inspired "Rock Star."
- National Public Radio interview with Revkin about the making of "Rock Star."
- "Q&A: Andrew Revkin", The Observatory December 16, 2008 Columbia Journalism Review