Professor Bill McGuire
Bill McGuire is an academic, activist, broadcaster, and best-selling popular science and speculative fiction writer. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at University College London, a co-director of the New Weather Institute, a patron of Scientists for Global Responsibility, a member of the scientific advisory board of Scientists Warning and Special Scientific Advisor to WordForest.org.
His books include: A Guide to the End of the World: Everything you Never Wanted to Know; Surviving Armageddon: Solutions for a Threatened Planet; and Seven Years to Save the Planet. His book Waking the Giant: How a Changing Climate Triggers Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes was ranked at number five in The Guardian's Top 10 'eco' books. His debut novel, Skyseed – an eco-thriller about climate engineering gone wrong – is published by The Book Guild. His short stories have been published online and in anthologies. His current book, Hothouse Earth: an Inhabitant's Guide, reached number 7 on Amazon UK.
Bill is a volcanologist by inclination and training. In 1996, he was a Senior Scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory and in 2010 a member of the Science Advisory Group in Emergencies (SAGE) addressing the Icelandic volcanic ash problem. He was a member of the UK Government Natural Hazard Working Group established in January 2005, in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami, and a co-author of its report: The Role of Science in Natural Hazard Assessment. His later work has focused on climate change and its impacts, particularly upon the solid Earth, and he was a contributor to the 2012 IPCC SREX report on climate change and extreme events.
Bill now works full-time as a writer and activist. He writes for many newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Times, The Observer, The Independent, New Scientist, Science Focus and Prospect. He is co-editor of the anthology, Knock Three Times: Modern Folk Tales for a World in Trouble, published in 2019. His latest short story, Net Zero, can found in the anthology Contagious Tales. He also writes the Cool Earth blog on Substack.
Bill presented two BBC Radio 4 series, Disasters in Waiting and Scientists Under Pressure, along with the End of the World Reports on Channel 5 and Sky News. He has also contributed to many other television and radio programmes and was consultant and main contributor for the lauded BBC Horizon films; Supervolcanoes and Megatsunami - Wave of Destruction, as well as for the BBC drama, Supervolcano. Other TV credits include The Big Breakfast, Richard & Judy and The Terry & Gabby Show. Most recently, he was series consultant for the National Geographic series, X-Ray the Earth. He also co-presented Project Doomsday live with comedy duo, Robin & Partridge, and stars in the Climate Science Translated film short with comedian and actor, Kiri Pritchard-McLean.
Bill lives, runs (sometimes) and grows fruit and veg in the Peak District, where he resides with his wife Anna, sons Jake (14) and Fraser (19), and cats Dave, Toby and Cashew.
