Naomi Oreskes is a Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, USA.
The Volvo Environment Prize event 2023 starts soon.
Newsletter Oct 31, 2025
Naomi Oreskes is a Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, USA.
Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes, a world-renowned earth scientist and historian, is awarded the 2025 prize for her groundbreaking research on scientific consensus, climate change, and the often-turbulent journey toward truth in science.
Copernicus statue
”Most people think that science is reliable by virtue of its method,” says Naomi Oreskes. ”But that idea is wrong. In reality, there is no singular scientific method. What makes scientific claims reliable is the process by which they are vetted.”
In the climate science debate, she emphasizes that the evidence for human-driven climate change is conclusive and no longer scientifically disputed.
“I mean, if anything is proven, climate science is proven”, she says. ”Science, as we know it, has been practiced for about 500 years, making it one of the longest-standing institutions on Earth, sustained because scientists have developed methods that tend to yield reliable answers in most cases.”
Harvard University Library
JURY CITATION
In their motivation for the 2025 award, the Jury of the Volvo Environment Prize recognizes Naomi Oreskes’ contributions to the understanding of scientific consensus, and the interactions between science, public policy,and society:
”Naomi Oreskes stands as a leading figure in contemporary history and philosophy of science, shaping our understanding of how scientific knowledge is collectively built, and the challenges of misinformation in public discourse.”