Archive · 2 Feb 2026
Indian-Origin Scientist Wins 2026 Crafoord Prize
A scientist named Veerabhadran Ramanathan, who was born in India, has won a very important prize called the Crafoord Prize.
This prize is like the Nobel Prize but for geosciences.
He won because he did important research on things that pollute the air and make the Earth warmer.
A long time ago, in 1975, he found out that some chemicals called CFCs can trap heat in the air much more than carbon dioxide.
This was a big discovery.
He also studied clouds of pollution over India and found out they affect the monsoon and melting of glaciers.
He now works in the United States and has advised important leaders about climate change.
The prize gives him a lot of money and a gold medal.
Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an Indian-origin scientist, wins the 2026 Crafoord Prize in Geosciences.
The prize recognizes his research on super-pollutants and atmospheric brown clouds.
He discovered in 1975 that CFCs trap heat 10,000 times more than CO₂.
His work has influenced international treaties like the Montreal Protocol.
Ramanathan is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
- Who
- Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an Indian-origin climate scientist
- What
- Won the 2026 Crafoord Prize in Geosciences
- When
- Award to be presented in May 2026
- Where
- Stockholm and Lund, Sweden
- Why
- For decades of research on super-pollutants and atmospheric brown clouds
- Prize
- 2026 Crafoord Prize in Geosciences
- Awarding Body
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
- Prize Money
- 8 million Swedish kronor (approx. $900,000)
- Recipient
- Veerabhadran Ramanathan
- Key Discovery
- CFCs trap heat 10,000 times more than CO₂
- Career Start
- Engineer in a refrigerator factory in Secunderabad
- Current Position
- Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Award Presentation
- May 2026 in Stockholm and Lund