Bringing Together Science, Policy, and Religion to Combat Climate Change and Create a Sustainable Future

Origin: The Tang Prize is awarded on a biennial basis, each with a cash reward of NT$40 million. Projects proposed by the laureates also receive a grant of up to NT$10 million. The 2018 grant for Sustainable Development is shared between Dr. Hansen and Pro. Ramanathan.

Project Summary: Professor Ramanthan, recipient of the 2018 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, has decided to devote the grant to two research projects, “Climate Change Resilience: Understanding Brain Body Mechanisms for Coping with Climate Stressors,” and “Bringing Together Science, Policy, and Religion to Combat Climate Change and Create a Sustainable Future.”

With regard to the second research project, “Bringing Together Science, Policy and Religion to Combat Climate Change and Create a Sustainable Future,” Professor Ramanthan wants to bring about collaborations between science and religion so that religious leaders and their communities can work constructively with climate scientists to shape the ethics required for addressing climate change and to communicate this issue effectively to the public. To achieve these goals, Professor Ramanthan and his team are in the process of forming an international consortium of scholars and religious leaders, led by a strategic partnership between University of California San Diego, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the University of Cambridge. This partnership will be essential for protecting the planet and building the cultures of sustainability, supported by a code of global ethics that is necessary.