“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2020 in Climate Change

Acceptance speech by Kerry A. Emanuel, winner of the 2020 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change, honored for his fundamental contributions to understanding hurricane physics and how global warming affects their intensity and destructive potential. His research has helped explain how tropical cyclones function as systems that convert ocean heat into energy and has led to the development of models for assessing the risks associated with these extreme weather events.

Emanuel reflects on the importance of curiosity-driven scientific research and its role in major advances in knowledge, technology and medicine. He recalls how, from the late 1980s onwards, growing evidence of human-induced climate change led many climate scientists to focus their research on assessing its risks. He also highlights the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in synthesizing and

Acceptance speech by Kerry A. Emanuel, winner of the 2020 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change, honored for his fundamental contributions to understanding hurricane physics and how global warming affects their intensity and destructive potential. His research has helped explain how tropical cyclones function as systems that convert ocean heat into energy and has led to the development of models for assessing the risks associated with these extreme weather events.

Emanuel reflects on the importance of curiosity-driven scientific research and its role in major advances in knowledge, technology and medicine. He recalls how, from the late 1980s onwards, growing evidence of human-induced climate change led many climate scientists to focus their research on assessing its risks. He also highlights the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in synthesizing and communicating scientific knowledge and acknowledges the collective contribution of researchers and students to advances in climate science.