On October 13 2022, the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity was jointly awarded to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The value of the prize is  one million Euros.

The prize was launched by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2020 with the objective of distinguishing those persons and organisations from around the world whose work has greatly contributed to mitigating the impacts of climate change.

According to the IPCC announcement, for IPCC scientists, this prize is an important recognition and encouragement. For the decision-makers, it is another push for more decisive climate action.

The Environment and Earth Division of the European Academy of Sciences has an estimated 12 Fellows who have been deeply involved and have given freely their time, energy and knowledge, as scientists for the IPCC. Their activities have covered impact, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. Notable contributions have been in food security, climate mitigation, ocean sciences, the physics of the atmosphere and climate modelling. European Academy scientists have acted as authors, coordinating authors, review editors and reviewers of many IPCC Assessment and IPCC Special Reports, since the IPCC was founded in Sweden in 1989. 

It is especially gratifying in these troublesome times for our IPCC Fellows to receive a prize for humanity – Earth’s common humanity.

The European Academy of Sciences is both proud and humbled to have Fellows who have played an active role in the synthesis and assessment of climate change research and thereby receive the acknowledgement of the 2022 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity.

About The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

About The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Written by:

Professor Dr. John R Porter (jrp@plen.ku.dk)

Head of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division of the European Academy of Sciences. 17 October 2022.