John R. Porter, a Coordinating Lead Author on the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has been awarded the French Order of Agriculture Merit.
Porter was given the honour in March 2016 in Copenhagen, Denmark, in recognition of his extensive work in the field of agriculture and climate change including work on the Fifth Assessment Report, which informed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Paris Agreement.
France’s Ministry of Agriculture established the Order in July 1883 to honour people who have made exceptional contributions to agriculture whether through research or in practice.
In his acceptance speech Porter talked about the success of the UNFCCC COP 21 meeting which resulted in the Paris Agreement. “COP21 was a huge success for the French government; M. Laurent Fabius conducted the negotiations with tact, humour, expertise and enormous diplomatic skill; President Hollande made a very rousing speech on the need fundamentally to change the basis of our global energy system. To see that our efforts as authors of the 5th IPCC assessment report, which formed the scientific bedrock of the COP21 negotiations, was very rewarding and a highlight of my career,” Said Porter.
Based in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences of the University of Copenhagen, John R. Porter was one of the Coordinating Lead Authors of Chapter 7 – “Food security and food production systems” – of the Working Group II contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report. Among his other achievements, Porter has also served on the Science Council of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), supporting the development of INRA’s scientific strategy over many years.