“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2023 in Climate Change

Acceptance speech by Ellen Thomas, winner of the 2023 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change, who was honored alongside James C. Zachos for their contributions to the discovery and study of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a global warming event that occurred 56 million years ago. Her research on ocean sediments and marine fossils has helped explain the consequences of massive greenhouse gas emissions for the climate and biodiversity.

Thomas warns of the risks of current global warming based on evidence from the geological past, highlighting how rising temperatures can lead to ocean acidification, biodiversity loss and ecosystem disruption. She emphasizes the consequences of climate change for human populations, particularly through sea level rise and its impact on coastal cities. She also stresses the urgent need for more effective measures to reduce emissions and avoid the most severe climate scenarios.