Veerabhadran Ramanathan Awarded Crafoord Prize for Climate Science 2026

Indian-origin scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan received the Crafoord Prize, which is commonly called the “Nobel of Geoscience”. In the 1970s, while working at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Ramanathan discovered that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) trap a very large amount of heat.

• Indian-origin scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan received the Crafoord Prize, which is commonly called the “Nobel of Geoscience”. His decades-long research completely changed the way the world understands climate change.
• From discovering the warming effects of industrial gases to shaping global environmental policy, his work impacted both science and society. This award recognizes a life dedicated to protecting the Earth through evidence-based climate science.
• Veerabhadran Ramanathan is an Indian-origin atmospheric scientist whose work transformed climate science. Born and educated in South India, he studied engineering in Bengaluru before going to the United States for higher education.
• His research proved that climate change is not caused only by carbon dioxide, but by the combined action of multiple heat-trapping gases.

The discovery that changed climate science

• In the 1970s, while working at NASA’s Langley Research Center, Ramanathan discovered that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) trap a great deal of heat.
• His 1975 paper in Science showed that a single CFC molecule could warm the Earth thousands of times more than carbon dioxide.
• This was the first clear evidence that gases other than CO₂ could also intensify global warming, which changed the direction of climate research worldwide. Ramanathan’s later work revealed the important role of trace gases such as methane and nitrous oxide.
• In 1985, he co-authored a study that warned these gases could accelerate global warming much faster than previously expected.
• This scientific evidence played a crucial role in the creation of the Montreal Protocol (1987), which gradually phased out CFCs.

Science, ethics and global leadership

• Ramanathan has advised policymakers and global leaders, including working with the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, where he advised three Popes on climate ethics.
• He consistently emphasizes how disproportionately climate change affects the poor.

Crafoord Prize

• The Crafoord Prize is considered the “Nobel Prize of Geoscience” and is administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Established in 1980 by Swedish industrialist Holger Crafoord and his wife Anna-Greta, it focuses on fundamental research in astronomy, mathematics, geosciences, biosciences and polyarthritis.
• Prize money: As of 2024, the prize amount is 6,000,000 Swedish kronor (approximately US$560,000), which is one of the largest amounts for these fields, though about half of the Nobel Prize amount.
• Year 2022 award: Andrew H. Knoll (life on Earth and its interaction with the physical environment)
• Year 1983 award: Edward N. Lorenz and Henry Stommel (geophysical hydrodynamics)