Volunteer Spotlight: Dick Ball
Dick Ball — expert extraordinaire on energy and climate change
by Charles Price
The Virginia Chapter’s energy chair, Dr. Richard H. Ball, is known to everyone simply as “Dick.” The line that describes Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman, as a “mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper” characterizes Dick Ball — mild mannered, quiet, unassuming, and kindly, but a titan of scientific knowledge,
intelligence, and ability. Like E. F. Hutton, when Dick speaks on energy issues, global warming, and climate change, we all listen.
Dick’s distinguished educational background includes a 1957 BS degree in physics, with honors, from Penn State University and a 1965 Ph.D. from Stanford University with a major in physics and a minor in mathematics. His work experience is equally distinguished. Following completion of his Ph.D., Dick went to work for the RAND Corporation in California. Between 1964 and 1973, Dick performed basic and applied research on various topics in geophysics and mathematical physics. Between 1971 and 1973, he managed and participated in studies of energy/environmental policy, energy use, and energy resources.
Dick’s next job, from 1974-1978, was with the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. where he served as special assistant for strategic analysis to the assistant administrator for research and development. In this capacity he supervised the development of models and methods for projecting trends and anticipating future environmental problems. His work included writing and publishing EPA’s annual Environmental Outlook Report. Dick led the team that developed a five-year plan for environmental research
related to nuclear, solar, and geothermal technologies as part of the Strategic Energy R and D program.
Dr. Ball then moved to the U.S. Department of Energy where he worked until 1999. From 1978-81, as chief of the Methods Development and Data Evaluation Branch-Environmental Impact Division, he developed impact assessment methods, including models for all environmental media, economic and energy projections, and social impacts. During the second phase of his work at DOE, he was responsible for managing research, analysis, and assessment programs, preparing in-house analyzes of environment-energy issues — especially air pollution regulation, acid rain, and global change issues. He represented DOE on several national and international fora, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Dick was the lead author on the IPCC first and second assessment reports dealing with climate change impacts on energy and industry. After retirement from the USDOE in 1999, he served as a private consultant for a brief period. During these years of highly important scientific work with the U.S. government, Dick maintained his Sierra Club membership and his commitment to its goals, active in many of its campaigns. He first joined California’s Angeles Chapter in 1966.
This year he completes his 43rd year as an active club member. He cites among his best club work the big battles he and others of the Angeles Chapter fought against California’s bad coastal development. Out of this long struggle came the idea for a California Coastal Alliance to protect the state’s coastline from a myriad of untoward development schemes. The CCA coastal initiative eventually passed a statewide referendum, creating the California Coastal Commission. He says this is one of his proudest achievements.
The Virginia Chapter and National Sierra Club have benefited greatly from Dick’s vast experience and expertise in scientific research and analysis on energy and global warming issues. For many years he has been Virginia Chapter’s Energy Chair and now serves on the National Sierra Club Energy Committee as well. His most recent contribution to the Virginia Chapter was co-researching and co-writing the Citizen Energy Plan, which has received wide recognition and acclaim.
Dick recently was awarded a high honor from the International Panel on Climate Change recognizing his important work. The citation reads, “Presented to Richard Ball for contributing to the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 to the International Panel on Climate Change.” The Award recognizes his contributions as one of the authors of the first and second IPCC assessment of the impacts of climate change.
We are most fortunate that Dr. Dick Ball is a member of the Virginia Chapter and that he maintains such a high degree of activism and commitment to our work on energy and climate change. Most importantly, we are pleased that he is an inveterate friend of the environment and our friend, also.
Make a donation to the Virginia Chapter Sierra Club today!
