Born on 8 April 1947, Rapley was educated at
King Edward's School, Bath,
Jesus College, Oxford (obtaining a
BA in Physics in 1969),
Manchester University, Jodrell Bank (obtaining a
MSc in
Radio Astronomy in 1976) and
University College, London (obtaining a
PhD in
X-ray Astronomy in 1976). Rapley married Norma Khan in 1970 and they have twin daughters, Emma Jane and Charlotte Anne. where he was instrumental in the creation of the 'atmosphere' climate science gallery, the first of its kind in a major museum. From 2012 to 2016 he was a member, then chair, of the European Space Agency Director General's High-Level Science Policy Advisory Committee. In 2020 he was appointed Chair of the European Science Foundation's European Space Sciences Committee, and in 2022 was appointed as a member of the European Space Agency Director General's High Level Advisory Group on the Human and Robotic Space Exploration for Europe. His current interests are in the role of climate scientists in society, the communication of climate science and the need to better balance the discovery of new facts about the climate system and the delivery of actionable information and benefit to society. Addressing this goal, from 2010 - 2019 he was Chair of the UCL Policy Commission on Communicating Climate Science, and more recently (until mid 2025) Chair of the UCL Climate Action Unit which seeks to help institutions overcome obstacles to establish their 'agency to act' on climate change.
Portrait Rapley agreed to sit for
Jon Edgar in
Fittleworth during 2009 as part of the sculptor's environmental series of heads.
Theatre and media Rapley co-wrote a one-man play
2071 with playwright Duncan Macmillan, which he performed at London's
Royal Court Theatre in November 2014, continuing to Hamburg and Brussels. The play was published by John Murray in June 2015. The book '''2071 - The World We'll Leave Our Grandchildren''' is available from John Murray. In 2019 Rapley was the Science Consultant on BBC1's ‘
Climate Change – The Facts’ presented by
Sir David Attenborough, and in 2020 on the BBC1 three-part series based around
Greta Thunberg,
Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World.
Criticism of Museum Oil and Gas Sponsorship In October 2021 Rapley resigned from the
Science Museum Group's Scientific Advisory Board over the issue of gallery and exhibit sponsorship by oil and gas companies, citing; "The reality of the climate crisis, the need to abolish fossil fuels as quickly as possible, and analyses such as the recent Carbon Tracker Report which bring into question the commitment of the oil and gas companies to do so".
Recognition In 2008 he was awarded the
Edinburgh Science Medal for having made 'a significant contribution to the understanding and wellbeing of humanity'. ==References==