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Tim Flannery

ティム・フラナリー

Timothy Fridtjof Flannery

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1956-01-28 （Melbourne, Victoria, Australia）
Nationality
Australian
Languages
English
Religion
Raised Catholic → identifies as humanist
Residence History
Sandringham (Melbourne suburb) → Sydney, New South Wales → Adelaide, South Australia → Victoria (moved there in 2014) → Geneva (visiting lecturer, short-term)

Career

Occupations
palaeontologist, mammalogist, science communicator, author, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, professor
Active Years
1977-
Affiliations
Australian Museum, South Australian Museum, University of Adelaide, Macquarie University, University of Melbourne (Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute), Climate Council, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (visiting lecturer)
Memberships
Australian Academy of Science (Fellow), Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales (Fellow), Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists (member), WWF‑Australia (governor/director)
Influenced By
Tom Rich (palaeontologist, mentor/collaborator)
Influenced
Climate movement and Australian environmental activists, Younger scientists in climate communication

Education

La Trobe University
Faculty of Arts (English literature) / English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Period: 1973–1977
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: Australia
Initially studied English literature; later shifted interest to natural history and science.
Monash University
Faculty of Science (Geology/Zoology) / Geology/Zoology (postgraduate)
Degree: Master of Science (MSc)
Period: 1978–1981
Year of Graduation: 1981
Country: Australia
Shifted focus from geology to zoology/palaeontology during postgraduate study.
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
Faculty of Science (Palaeontology) / Palaeontology
Degree: PhD
Period: 1981–1984
Year of Graduation: 1984
Country: Australia
Doctoral work on the evolution and fossils of macropods.

Awards

Edgeworth David Medal
1990
Organization: Australasian (relevant societies)
Result: 受賞
Colin Roderick Award
1996
Work: Tree Kangaroos
Organization: Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
Result: 受賞
Rudi Lemberg Travelling Fellowship
1996
Organization: Australian Academy of Science
Result: 受賞
NSW Premier's Literary Awards (Book of the Year)
2006
Work: The Weather Makers
Category: Book of the Year
Organization: New South Wales Government
Result: 受賞
Lannan Literary Award (Non-Fiction)
2006
Work: The Weather Makers
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: 受賞
Australian of the Year
2007
Organization: Australian Government
Result: 受賞
Joseph Leidy Award
2010
Organization: Academy of Natural Sciences
Result: 受賞
Order of Saint-Charles
2011
Organization: Principality of Monaco
Result: 受章
Fellow, Australian Academy of Science
2012
Organization: Australian Academy of Science
Result: 叙任
Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue
2015
Organization: Simon Fraser University
Result: 受賞
AMRI Lifetime Achievement Award
2014
Organization: Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Future Eaters

1994 natural history / environmental history (non-fiction) 336 pages

An ecological history of Australasia that examines human waves of migration and their long-term impacts on ecosystems, soil and species; written as accessible popular science.

human impactecosystem changemigration and culture
Adaptations
  • [TV documentary] The Future Eaters (documentary) (1998)
Translations
  • English original

The Weather Makers

2005 climate science / popular science 320 pages

Explains the science of climate change, its likely impacts and mitigation options for a general audience; raised Flannery's international profile.

climate changesea level riserenewable energy
Translations
  • Translated into multiple languages (details variable)

Throwim Way Leg

1998 travel memoir / natural history 384 pages

A memoir of fieldwork and expeditions in New Guinea, recounting encounters with local people and biological discoveries.

fieldworkspecies discoverycollaboration with indigenous peoples

Chasing Kangaroos

2007 natural history / travel 320 pages

Surveys the natural history of Australia's marsupials and kangaroos, exploring diversity and human interactions.

marsupialsbiodiversityconservation

Bibliography

  • Mammals of New Guinea (1990)
  • The Future Eaters (1994)
  • Throwim Way Leg (1998)
  • The Eternal Frontier (2001)
  • The Weather Makers (2005)
  • Chasing Kangaroos (2007)
  • Atmosphere of Hope (2015)
  • The Climate Cure (2020)
  • Big Meg (with Emma Flannery, 2024)

Adaptations

  • The Future Eaters (TV documentary, ABC)
  • Burning (documentary film, appearance)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
accessible popular-science prosedescriptive narrative incorporating fieldworkargumentative style with policy recommendations
Recurring Motifs
climate change and its impactshuman effects on ecosystemsconservation and rewilding

Legacy

Combines scholarly contributions in palaeontology and mammalogy with high-profile public communication on climate change; widely awarded and influential in Australian environmental discourse.

Museums

  • South Australian Museum Adelaide, South Australia
  • Australian Museum Sydney, New South Wales

Academic Societies

  • Australian Academy of Science
  • Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

Archives

  • Holdings at the National Library of Australia
  • Specimen and archival collections at museums (Australian Museum, South Australian Museum, etc.)

In Popular Culture

  • Appearances in TV programmes and documentaries (ABC, etc.)
  • Recognition as author of popular best-selling books

Quotes

  • “I am absolutely certain that [the bushfires are] climate change caused.”
    Source: CNN interview (2020) (2020)

Trivia

  • Identified more than 17 previously undescribed species during New Guinea field surveys in the 1980s–90s.
  • House destroyed by bushfire in 1994.
  • Appointed inaugural head of the Climate Commission in 2011; sacked in 2013 and subsequently helped found the Climate Council.