‘Merchants of Doubt’ author, professor Naomi Oreskes wins top environmental prize

Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science, has received the 2025 Volvo Environment Prize. The recognition, awarded annually by a foundation based in Stockholm, represents one of the world’s top distinctions for environmental scientists. It comes with a cash prize of 1.5 million Swedish Kronor (about $160,000).

Oreskes, who is also an affiliated professor of Earth and planetary sciences, is a leading expert on the role of disinformation in blocking climate action. In a statement, the Volvo Environment Prize Jury specifically praised her research on the history of climate-related breakthroughs and how scientific consensus is built (or undermined) across broader society. 

“The prize acknowledges something I have been trying to highlight for many years now: that we cannot solve environmental problems with natural science alone,” Oreskes said. “Crafting effective solutions also requires solid social science, including understanding the political, social, and cultural obstacles to change. It means a huge amount for the Volvo Foundation to acknowledge this in awarding me this prize.”

Also cited by the jury was Oreskes’ 2010 best-seller “Merchants of Doubt,” co-authored with Purdue University historian Erik M. Conway, which connected recent efforts to deny climate science to PR tactics introduced by the tobacco industry. In 2014, filmmaker Robert Kenner (“Food, Inc.”) turned the title into a critically acclaimed documentary.

Oreskes began her career as a geologist before discovering the History of Science field during graduate school. A member of the Harvard faculty since 2013, she has published hundreds of journal articles and opinion pieces parsing scientific fact from lies, myths, misapprehensions, and mistakes. Her books also include “The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future” (2014), “Why Trust Science?” (2019) “The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market” (2023).

Established in 1990 with support from the Swedish auto manufacturer, the Volvo Environment Prize recognizes scientists for advancing environmental stewardship and sustainability. According to Oreskes, it’s “a huge honor” to join the ranks of previous winners including the late atmospheric chemist and Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen (1991), atmospheric and climate scientist Veerabhadran Ramanathan (1997), the late Woods Hole ecologist George Woodwell (2001), chemical meteorologist Henning Rohde (2015), and Amazon rainforest expert Carlos Nobre (2016).

Oreskes is especially proud to be associated with women to win the award. Specifically mentioned were feminist economist Gita Sen (1994), atmospheric chemist and MIT colleague Susan Solomon (2009), and biodiversity expert and “natural capital” pioneer Gretchen Daly (2012). “They not only made crucial contributions to science,” Oreskes offered, “but also paved the way for other women to be global leaders in this space.”

Oreskes will travel to Stockholm next month to officially accept the prize during a seminar and ceremony. She plans to donate part of her prize money to environmental causes.