– Luisa Neubauer, climate activist
We Need a Nobel Prize in Climate and Planetary Health
The climate crisis is humankind’s greatest challenge. We call for a new Nobel Prize to honor those leading the way forward — and we begin by endowing the first award with €1,000,000.
Our commitment
€1,000,000officially secured for a Climate Nobel Prize
1 million euros (approx. 11 million Swedish kronor) have already been deposited in an account managed by a notary and is ready to be released if the Nobel Committee agrees to establish this prize in 2026.
Endorsed by Leading Scientists
„I believe that a majority of the world’s population would agree that the climate issue is of vital importance. And it is also in Nobel’s spirit to highlight important contributions to human well-being“
Prof. PhD Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm
Scientific Adviser of the Climate Nobel Prize Initiative
Prof. Thomas Elmqvist, is a professor researching natural resource management and urban landscapes. As an author of over 125 peer- reviewed articles, 40 books and book chapters, Elmqvist’s work has shaped global and regional discussions on urban resilience and biodiversity. He holds roles in leading environmental and science- policy bodies, such as the Volvo Environment Prize committee and Husqvarna’s International Biodiversity Advisory Board. His international career includes leading roles in the UNESCO and the UN’s “Cities and Biodiversity Outlook” and Future Earth’s “Urban Planet“, as well as the European Academies Science Advisory Council. Elmqvist is also a member of the Academia Europea.
„Establishing a Climate Nobel Prize would give a much needed signal to the world that humanity needs to work together to battle climate change, now more than ever. I strongly support this initiative.“
Prof. Wim an Saarloos
Former president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC). Member of the Dutch Academy of Sciences.
„With our current economic system, we are destroying our natural capital and we won’t last very long as a species. Which makes recognising scientific achievements which help us get out of this mess by a Climate Nobel Prize an imperative of our time.“
Em. Prof. Louise Vet
Former director (1999-2019) of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), and emeritus professor in Evolutionary Ecology at Wageningen University. Member of the Dutch Academy of Sciences.
Key Principles
Authority Remains with the Nobel Foundation
Sustainable & Independent Financing
Ecosia provides the seed endowment for the first Climate Nobel Prize, but over time it should ideally be sustained by a broad societal coalition.
Common Ground & Institutional Cooperation
The prize is established in close collaboration with the Nobel Foundation and awarded by an independent jury consisting of scientific, societal and economic institutions.
Administration in the Nobel Tradition
The prize is administered under the auspices of the Nobel Foundation, following the model of the Prize in Economic Sciences to ensure consistency with Alfred Nobel’s legacy.
Completing The Nobel Legacy
The Missing Prize in the 21st Century
When Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Prizes in 1895, his vision was to reward those whose work gave ’the greatest benefit to humankind.’ For more than a century, these awards have rightly honored groundbreaking achievements. Now is the time to continue this legacy with a prize for the defining challenge of the 21st century.
Since 1901
The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Peace, launching more than a century of honoring humanity’s greatest achievements.
1969
The Nobel Prize in Economics was added. It has since been awarded with the support of Sweden’s central bank, demonstrating that Nobel tradition can evolve to address new global challenges.
Today
Give climate a seat at the table
Humanity faces its greatest challenge — the climate crisis. Solutions in this field benefit all people, across generations and borders. The Nobel stage is where humanity’s greatest achievements are celebrated, yet one seat is empty for the defining challenge of our time.
The Progress So Far
Status Quo: The Foundation’s No New Prizes Policy
The Nobel Foundation has issued a press response that is reiterating their policy of not introducing new prizes.
We understand the Foundation’s message to be a clarification of policy rather than an assessment of the proposal itself; it does not yet address the merits of the initiative or the precedent that informs our approach.
A Historical Precedent: The Economics Prize
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was also initially refused by the Nobel Foundation.
It was later established after strong support from the Swedish Parliament and the Swedish National Bank – without altering Alfred Nobel’s will.
Our proposed Prize in Climate and Planetary Health follows this same model.
Looking Ahead: Why This Prize Belongs in the Nobel Tradition
We remain confident that, once the Nobel Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences have had time to review the proposal in more detail, a deeper dialogue will follow.
Public support will play a decisive role in shaping this conversation, just as it did in 1968. In sharing the initiative, you can help to see climate leadership recognised at the highest level.
Endorsements from distinguished voices
An initiative by
We are the largest European search engine and the planet’s biggest tree-planting movement. We dedicate 100% of our profits to climate action.
240,000,000+
Trees planted by Ecosia
€97,000,000+
dedicated to climate action
Frequently Asked Questions
The climate crisis is the defining challenge for humanity. Scientific breakthroughs already exist, but the real bottleneck is turning these solutions into action at the scale and speed required.
A Nobel Prize in Climate and Planetary Health would not just celebrate achievements — it would help accelerate the transition itself. By giving climate leaders and innovators the same recognition as Nobel laureates before them, the prize can inspire even greater efforts, create urgency, and build momentum for solutions that benefit our planet and all of humanity.
The existing Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Medicine were created to honor groundbreaking scientific discoveries. These awards rightly celebrate inventions, theories, and breakthroughs that advance human knowledge. But when it comes to the climate crisis, the challenge is no longer the absence of scientific insight — it is the implementation of proven solutions at the scale and speed required.
A prize dedicated to climate and planetary health would acknowledge this essential shift: from invention to impact. We believe that the defining challenge of our time deserves its own dedicated category — just as the Prize in Economic Sciences was added in 1969 to reflect its growing societal importance.
The Prize may be awarded to individuals, organizations, movements, or communities. It aims to honor the true locus of change — whether this is an individual catalyst or a collective achievement.
Our invitation to the Nobel Foundation is one of partnership and alignment: together, we can ensure the prizes continue to reflect the challenges and opportunities of our time. We propose three initial categories of recognition and remain open to refining these in close dialogue with the Nobel Foundation and relevant institutions:
- Pragmatic Governance: For implementing smart, effective policies that accelerate proven solutions and provide long-term stability.
- Scaling Prosperity & Markets: For scaling innovations and business models that create sustainable prosperity at unprecedented speed.
- Building Common Ground: For uniting diverse perspectives to create shared, practical solutions and empower communities.
We propose that, similar to the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, the Climate Nobel Prize be administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Laureates would be announced alongside other Nobel Prize winners and honored at the official Nobel Prize ceremony.
Our ambition is for the first Climate Nobel Prize to be awarded in December 2026.
Ecosia pledges the first €1 million to fund the inaugural prize. This fund has already been deposited in an account managed by a notary and is ready to be released if the Nobel Committee agrees to establish the prize in 2026.
Ecosia is open to extending its support over time and welcomes the opportunity to share this responsibility with others who support the creation of a Climate Nobel Prize. Over time, the prize could be sustained by a broad coalition of purpose-driven institutions, ensuring long-term and independent financing.
The endowment of €1 million (approximately 11 million Swedish kronor) reflects the standard prize amount awarded to Nobel laureates in other categories. By matching this amount, we signal that achievements in climate action are no less significant than those in Physics, Literature, or Medicine.
Your voice matters. You can:
- Engage on social media using your platform to spread the message.
- Encourage institutions, experts, and organizations to publicly support the initiative.
- Create media awareness by sharing the campaign with journalists, opinion leaders, and policymakers.
Every voice and every share helps build the case for a Nobel Prize that reflects the urgency of our time.
A few months ago, we started to informally reach out to the Nobel Foundation and formally handed over our offer to fund the prize in December 2025. This marks the beginning of a collaborative process under the Foundation’s auspices to define governance and evaluation structures, in a spirit of partnership and alignment — ensuring that the Nobel Prizes continue to reflect the challenges and opportunities of our time.
Ecosia is the world’s largest tree-planting movement and Europe’s largest search engine. We dedicate 100% of our profits to climate action.
Leading this initiative is a natural extension of Ecosia’s mission: to drive large-scale systemic change for the planet. We believe that if the Nobel Prize, the world’s most prestigious award, were to honor climate leaders and innovators, it could help catalyze the ambition and action needed to accelerate climate solutions.
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Give climate a seat at the table.