“When you read the book, you’ll see the horror, frustration, and despair as, in my lifetime, I’ve recorded this extraordinary damage to the atmosphere—the only one we have. It’s sheer stupidity what’s going on.

“That’s why I’m not in retirement—I’m using the publication of this book to talk to as many people as possible. The story needs to be told.”

Dave took a creative writing course at Te Herenga Waka in 2018 after being told that stories change minds. “I was the only person in the group who had never written a story before. After the course finished, we started an informal writers’ group, and I just went for it and wrote most of the book in lockdown last year.

“I was able to set the timeline using records saved at the National Archives—librarians are stars—and build a personal story around it. The ‘hero’s journey’ story-telling model has really resonated with readers, though it’s a weird thing for a scientist to do!”

Dave’s journey starts with rough beginnings in Taranaki. Bullied at school, he dropped out at age 15, found a job, and discovered surfing. “It taught me about the environment, and I realised I had to go to university to learn more.”

After completing Honours and Master’s degrees in Physics at Te Herenga Waka, he worked in California on a project designed to precisely measure CO₂ in the atmosphere, then won a scholarship to complete his PhD in Germany.

“That country changed my life forever,” he says. “My wife and I had two children there. It’s an amazing place; scientifically brilliant and, of any country in the world, a success story in renewable energy.”

Dave’s institutional career continued in Germany, the United States, and New Zealand, including being a lead author on the United Nations’ IPCC assessment report on climate change from 2004 to 2007, for which the contributors jointly received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

One could hardly ask for more success in terms of a scientific career, but Dave’s frustration at the lack of resulting political action is palpable.

“I wanted to call my book Atmosphere, following my journey with the atmosphere and watching it being destroyed,” he says. “But my publisher suggested The Alarmist.

“I didn’t like it at first because of its derogatory connotations, but the more I thought about it, I realised he was right. It turns the tables on climate change deniers who have always called climate scientists that.

“I went through decades of frustration with these people. I’m vindicated but in literally the last decade before it is too late. We actually have to make deep cuts now to have any hope of avoiding dangerous climate change.”

Dave’s pessimism about the lack of action is leavened with optimism about human ingenuity and the importance of young people in fighting for the future.

“My pessimism is about the politics—dealing with politicians is like wading through treacle,” he says. “But we developed a vaccine in a year, using completely novel technology. I want to see that same ingenuity used in renewable energy. We already have the tools to do this.

“We know how to do so much better, so why aren’t we doing it? I think it’s a combination of inertia and greed. The products that have come from fossil fuels over the past few decades seem incredibly cheap because the cost of damage to the atmosphere has never been factored in.

“That needs to change. Climate change is an intergenerational crime, and young people are extremely concerned with what is happening. They feel very differently to us, which is why I am dedicating a lot of my time to working with them.”

Dave has also been involved in several film projects associated with his book, including participating in a documentary series, Sharing the wisdom of time, about how older people inspire the young. “They are filming this in about 30 different countries, and I was chosen to represent New Zealand by the Italian company making it. The idea is based on a book by Pope Francis, who was chosen to represent Italy.”

The documentary series is due to stream later this year.

Having devoted much of the past three years to The Alarmist, Dave and his wife plan to take some time out over the next year to travel the length of Aotearoa on their electric bikes. “Our plan is to tackle it in bits, starting in November, eventually riding from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

“I’m 75 this year, so it’s time to start doing things like this.”