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Andrew Hopkins

Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Australian National University

Andrew Hopkins is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the Australian National University in Canberra.

He was a consultant to the US Chemical Safety Board in its investigation of the Texas City accident. His book on that accident, was titled Failure to Learn: the BP Texas City Refinery Disaster. He was again a consultant to the Board for its investigation of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster and has written a book on that subject - Disastrous Decisions: The Human and Organisational Causes of the Gulf of Mexico Blowout.

In all he has written some fifteen books, with more than 90,000 copies sold.

He was the winner of the 2008 European Process Safety Centre safety award, the first in time it was awarded to someone outside Europe.

In 2016 he was made an honorary fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers in recognition of his “outstanding contributions to process safety and to the analysis of process safety related incidents”.

He has a BSc and an MA from the Australian National University, a PhD from the University of Connecticut and is a Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia.

His current research interests are in responses to climate change.

To avoid crisis, the gas market needs a steady steer, not an emergency swerve

Sep 27, 2017 16:14 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Rising gas costs are the single biggest factor in the current rise in electricity prices. What is most noteworthy about this statement is not the fact that it is true, but that it was made by Prime Minister Malcolm...

Tax and dividend: how conservatives can grow to love carbon pricing

Feb 25, 2017 12:59 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

In some political circles, hostility to climate policy has become a way of showing off ones conservative credentials. But a suggestion for pricing carbon, grounded in classic conservative principles, has now emerged in the...

Economy

100+ Global Companies Push Governments to Prioritize Electrification for Economic Growth

More than 100 major global companies, including Nestlé, Uber, IKEA, Volvo Cars, Iberdrola, Levi Strauss, Nikon Corporation, and Mahindra Group, are urging governments to place electrification at the heart of their...

Dollar Holds Firm as U.S.-Iran Talks Ease Tensions, GBP/USD Slips Amid UK Political Uncertainty

The U.S. dollar remained largely stable on Monday after the first round of diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran concluded with signs of progress, although lingering geopolitical risks continued to keep...

China Keeps Loan Prime Rates Unchanged for 13th Straight Month as Policymakers Prioritize Credit Demand Recovery

Chinas central bank left its benchmark lending rates unchanged in June, marking the 13th consecutive month without an adjustment and reinforcing expectations that policymakers are not rushing to introduce additional...

US Stock Futures Recover as Iran Signals Progress in Peace Talks

U.S. stock index futures pared earlier losses on Sunday night after Iran reported progress in ongoing peace negotiations held in Switzerland, easing investor concerns about escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle...

Gold Price Rises as Investors Weigh U.S.-Iran Talks and Fed Policy Outlook

Gold prices moved higher on Monday as investors closely followed developments in U.S.-Iran negotiations and evaluated the future direction of U.S. monetary policy after the Federal Reserves recent hawkish stance. Spot gold...

Politics

US Military Strike on Suspected Drug Trafficking Vessel Leaves Two Dead in Caribbean

The U.S. military has confirmed that it carried out a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of two individuals whom officials described as male narco-terrorists. The operation, announced by U.S....

Taiwan Launches Five-Day Combat Readiness Drill Amid Rising China Military Activity

Taiwans military will begin a five-day combat readiness exercise this week as part of its broader military modernization strategy aimed at improving war preparedness and strengthening defense capabilities against growing...

Pedro Sanchez’s Wife Ordered to Stand Trial in Spain Corruption Case

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs wife, Begoña Gomez, has been ordered to stand trial on corruption-related charges and has been barred from leaving Spain, according to a ruling issued by Judge Juan Carlos...

Moscow Downs Dozens of Ukrainian Drones as Airports Halt Flights Amid Escalating Attacks

Russias capital, Moscow, came under a major drone attack early Monday, with air defense systems intercepting nearly 60 Ukrainian drones heading toward the city, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The incident briefly...

China Adds MP Materials, USA Rare Earth to Export Control List Amid Escalating U.S.-China Trade Tensions

China has expanded its export control measures by adding two major U.S. rare earth companies, MP Materials Corp (NYSE: MP) and USA Rare Earth Inc (NASDAQ: USAR), to its export control list, according to a notice issued by...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SK Hynix Overtakes Samsung as South Korea’s Most Valuable Company

SK Hynix briefly surpassed Samsung Electronics in market capitalization on Monday, marking a historic milestone in South Koreas corporate landscape. The AI-driven semiconductor boom has propelled the memory chip giant to...

US-Iran De-Escalation Shifts Washington’s Focus to AI Regulation and Crypto Legislation

A potential easing of tensions between the United States and Iran is redirecting Washingtons attention toward major technology policy initiatives and executive actions, according to a new report from Wolfe Research. The...

Google’s Open-Source AI Data Center Cooling Design Raises Commoditization Concerns

Googles newly introduced open-source liquid-cooling design for AI data centers is drawing attention across the data center infrastructure industry, with analysts suggesting it could accelerate the commoditization of...

John Jumper Leaves Google DeepMind for Anthropic Amid Intensifying AI Talent Race

John Jumper, the Google DeepMind researcher who shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his groundbreaking work on the AlphaFold artificial intelligence system, has announced that he is leaving Google DeepMind to join...

Trump Says Anthropic No Longer Seen as National Security Threat

U.S. President Donald Trump said he no longer views artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat, marking a significant shift from his stance just a week earlier. The comments came during an...