“We can really go back in history”

Having received the 7th BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change, geologist Richard Alley explains in this interview how studying large ice sheets—especially in Greenland and Antarctica—allows us to reconstruct Earth’s climate history and understand how quickly the planet can warm. Alley details how records obtained from ice cores reveal natural cycles, abrupt temperature changes, and clear evidence of human impact. He also reflects on the accelerating melting of ice, rising sea levels, and the risks facing coastal communities, underscoring the urgent need for decisive action to mitigate the effects of global warming. His testimony combines scientific rigor with a call for collective responsibility.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category goes in this seventh edition to U.S. glaciologist Richard Alley for his pioneering research into the mechanics of ice and its implications for abrupt climate change.