Spinoza Prize goes to Joyeeta Gupta for climate justice
Science financier NWO awarded the Spinoza Prize Wednesday morning to Joyeeta Gupta, professor of environment and development of the global south at the UvA. Gupta will receive €1.5 million for her research on distributional issues resulting from the climate crisis. “I am extremely happy. It was wonderful to receive this award.”
Joyeeta Gupta has been concerned with the consequences of the climate crisis throughout her career. In doing so, she calls attention to global justice. After all, developing countries are being hit hardest by climate change even though they are not the main perpetrators. Gupta is also a prominent member of the global community working on environmental issues. She was the lead author of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
2023 Spinoza Prize winner
2021 - 2026 ERC Advanced Grant climate change and fossil fuels
2019 - 2024 Faculty professor of sustainability, UvA
2019 - 2022 Vice President Earth Commission
2016 - 2022 Vice Chair Global Environment Outlook-6
2012 Professor of Environment and Development in the Global South, UvA
2011 Research leader, Amsterdam Global Change Institute
2007 Nobel Peace Prize, together with 3,000 other IPCC scientists and Al Gore
2004 - 2012 Professor of Climate Change Policy and Law at the Free University (VU), Amsterdam
2003 - 2013 Professor of Water and Environmental Law and Policy at the IHE Institute for Water Education
1997 PhD in law at the Free University (VU), Amsterdam
1988 Master’s degree in international law from Harvard Law School
1964 Born in Delhi, India
Just last week, Gupta achieved another important milestone in her career. For the first time, the scientific journal Nature published climate research that included justice.
NWO’s selection committee says it is “very impressed” with the scientific impact of Gupta’s research, calling it “extremely far-reaching and interdisciplinary.” The committee also cites Gupta’s “tireless efforts” to “attract and inspire” young scientists, referring to the long list of doctoral students Gupta has supervised.
This is the first time in 11 years that the Spinoza Prize has been awarded to a UvA scientist. The last UvA winner was Annemarie Mol, professor of anthropology of the body. NWO awards the Spinoza Prize - also known as the Dutch Nobel Prize - annually to up to two Dutch researchers who are among the very best in science internationally. The prize honors and encourages further research.
In addition to Gupta, VU professor of evolution Toby Kiers will also receive this year’s Spinoza Prize. The winners of NWO’s Stevin Prize, the award for the social impact of research, are Twente professor of chip design Bram Nauta and Tilburg professor of law and computer science Corien Prins. The official award ceremony will be held on October 4.
Joyeeta, congratulations. What did you think when you heard the news?
“Shock, surprise, and then joy. It took a while for it to sink in. The president of NWO, (Marcel Levi, ed.) gave me the news on the phone. Before I could ask anything he had already hung up. It happened so fast, I didn’t know if I had heard it correctly. A few hours later, the rector magnificus of the UvA e-mailed me congratulations but didn’t mention the Spinoza Prize because of the embargo. Only when I received the formal letter a few days later did I know for sure that I had not misunderstood. I am extremely happy. It was wonderful to receive this award.”
What might the Spinoza Prize mean for climate research?
“The prize recognizes North-South issues and equity within climate research. It also shows that such an award is not given solely to research on artificial intelligence and curing diseases.”
What does equity in climate research mean?
“Man is depleting the earth’s resources, but many of these resources are owned by a select few rich people. They make up only a few percent of the world’s population but have as much environmental impact as the poorest people, who make up almost two-thirds of the world’s population. So we can no longer think of growth as an increase in gross domestic product (GDP). This is difficult because people often have the idea that consuming less means giving something up. I wonder if less consumption might actually lead to a happier life.”
How are we supposed to make that happen?
“It requires social movements to raise the issues and force the passing of regulations: a ‘stick’ for changing the economic system. That’s why I’m researching how to limit the scale of production, investment, and consumption with regulations. The same goes for taxes: How do we ensure that companies and people cannot evade taxes?”
“This requires a global constitution in which nature, biodiversity, and human rights have a place. We have already come a long way. Indeed, from the 1992 climate treaty, the article of law stating that no harm may be caused to others was deliberately removed so that no one could be held liable. In the meantime, multinationals and governments can now be legally forced to shoulder their responsibilities in climate policy.”
How will you spend the 1.5 million euros?
“I want to put justice and climate policy even higher on the agenda. For the ERC Grant, I am already doing research on climate change and fossil fuels, multinationals, and pension funds. I would like to use the Spinoza Grant for more equity in biodiversity, climate, water, nutrition, and environmental and development issues. The very long-term goal is a global constitution.”
