January 6, 2025
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Biden Awards Three Climate Experts Nation’s Highest Science Honor
Richard Alley, Lawrence Edwards and David Tilman were among two dozen honorees who received either the National Medal of Science or the National Medal of Technology and Innovation last week.
The Rhône glacier, the source of the river of the same name, is located in the Swiss Alps. Like many other alpine glaciers around the world, it has retreated significantly over the past 150 years as global temperatures have risen.
GmbH & Co. KG/Alamy Stock Photo
KLIMAWIRE | The White House recognized more than two dozen scientists and innovators Friday with what will be the Biden administration’s latest National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation.
The awards honored researchers from astrophysicists and oncologists and pharmaceutical companies who developed mRNA vaccines for Covid-19. Three climate and environmental scientists joined the group.
Richard Alley, a geoscientist at Pennsylvania State University, received the National Medal of Science for decades of research on melting glaciers and ice sheets, sea level rise and other climate impacts.
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“Through long tours in the most remote and extreme environments on Earth, Richard Alley has taken climate predictions to great heights and created a new urgency to address the climate crisis, moving the world towards a sustainable future,” said Executive Vice President Kei Koizumi. science, society and policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which announced the awards.
R. Lawrence Edwards, a climate scientist at the University of Minnesota, was also recognized. Edwards was awarded the National Medal of Science for his work in reconstructing the history of the planet’s climate from prehistoric times.
“Lawrence Edward’s innovative research methods illuminate the rate, scale and drivers of climate change and its impact on human civilization, defining him as one of the most distinguished earth scientists of our time,” Koizumi said.
G. David Tilman, an ecologist at the University of Minnesota, also received the National Medal of Science for his research on biodiversity and conservation, including how the diversity of life on the planet helps strengthen ecosystems in the face of environmental challenges such as climate change.
“David Tilman’s work demonstrates that the diversity of life on Earth is essential for productive ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and more, helping to feed and nourish the world, making conservation a strategic and moral calling,” Koizumi said.
In total, the White House awarded 14 National Medals of Science and 11 National Medals of Technology and Innovation.
“This year’s awardees represent a simple truth as I have always believed. America can be defined in one word: opportunity,” Biden said at Friday’s event. “That’s who we are: a nation of opportunity.”
Reprinted E&E News Courtesy of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.
