Although today the connection between human activity and the phenomenon of climate change and with variations in the composition of our atmosphere seems clear, it took many years of research like Susan Salomon’s to demonstrate these relationships. For this reason, the BBVA foundation has awarded the scientist the “Frontiers of Knowledge” Award in the Climate Change category.
In the 1980s the devastating effect of CFCs on the ozone layer was already known. In addition, it had been shown that its reduction was especially important at the poles. Susan Salomon formulated a model that showed whythe effects of human activities were manifested in places so far from them, and also checked his theoryin situthrough two scientific expeditions to Antarctica. It was the first time that the relationship between the hole in the ozone layer and the climate was tested. As she explains, “the hole in the ozone layer is an incredible disturbance in the entire atmosphere, it just affects the entire planet.”
The results of their research contributed to reinforcing the famous Montreal protocol, in which the signatory countries pledged to stop the use of gases that damaged the ozone layer. “His work has shown howbasic science can positively influence political decisionsand contribute to social awareness “, explained Bjorn Stevens, president of the jury.
Susan Salomon is currently a Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The jury highlighted that his work “has contributed, through his research and leadership, to safeguarding our planet, being an example of the use of science for the common good.”
