TaipeiJune 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Tang Prize, a world-class academic award established to address 21st-century global demands, honors achievements in four categories: Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. The winners of the 2026 Tang Prize will be announced over four consecutive days starting today, with each category awarding a prize of NT$50 million (approximately RMB 11.1 million). Today (June 15), the “Sustainable Development“ award was first announced, given to American atmospheric chemist Professor Susan Solomon, in recognition of her groundbreaking advances and exceptional leadership in atmospheric and climate science, which have shaped global sustainable development policies.
Atmospheric Chemist Susan Solomon Awarded the 2026 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development
Climate change is one of the most critical issues for global sustainable development today. Professor Solomon is internationally renowned for her pioneering work on ozone depletion and climate change. By combining field observations in Antarctica, innovative model simulations, and in-depth communication with policymakers and the public, she has played a key role in the success of the Montreal Protocol and global climate negotiations. Her significant contributions include: demonstrating that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the primary cause of the Antarctic ozone hole expansion and proposing a heterogeneous chemical reaction mechanism to explain its formation; showing that the impacts of carbon dioxide emissions on surface temperature, precipitation, and sea level will persist for over a millennium; and co-leading the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report on “The Physical Science Basis,” which comprehensively integrated key climate science knowledge.
Professor Solomon currently serves as the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She began her career at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where she worked for 30 years before joining MIT in 2012. She has received nearly 70 international awards throughout her lifetime, including the National Medal of Science, the National Academy of Sciences Award for Chemistry in Service to Society, and the Blue Planet Prize. This Tang Prize award marks exactly 40 years since she led an expedition to Antarctica in 1986.
Between 1986 and 1987, Professor Solomon served as the Chief Project Scientist for the National Ozone Expedition at McMurdo Station, leading a team to Antarctica. They made the first direct measurements of reactive chlorine compounds in the Antarctic atmosphere, confirming that CFCs were indeed the primary cause of the Antarctic ozone hole expansion. Her research findings became a crucial scientific foundation for the Montreal Protocol. This protocol is regarded as one of the most successful environmental treaties in history, phasing out ozone-depleting substances through global cooperation. In 2016, her research team at MIT further discovered signs of ozone layer recovery over Antarctica, demonstrating that international cooperation and the phase-out of CFCs have yielded tangible results, marking a significant milestone in sustainable science.
In 2009, Professor Solomon published another landmark study, indicating that the impacts of carbon dioxide emissions on surface temperature, precipitation, and sea level are largely irreversible on a millennial timescale, even if emissions cease. This breakthrough discovery revealed the long-term environmental hazards of global warming, highlighting the urgency of early and sustained climate mitigation actions, profoundly influencing both scientific understanding and international policy.
Furthermore, Professor Solomon has shown that changes in the thickness of the ozone layer in the Southern Hemisphere affect atmospheric circulation and temperature structure from the upper atmosphere to the surface. Over more than four decades, her research on the impact of trace gases from human activities on the Earth’s climate system has greatly enhanced our understanding of the chemical and climatic interactions within the Earth system.
The heterogeneous chemical reaction mechanism she proposed indicates that polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) form in the Antarctic stratosphere under extremely low winter and spring temperatures. The ice crystal surfaces of these clouds provide more efficient chemical reaction interfaces, allowing chlorine gas (Cl₂) to be generated at rates far exceeding those in the gas phase. This mechanism has become an indispensable theory in stratospheric chemistry models and is regarded as a classic achievement in modern environmental science.
From 2002 to 2008, Professor Solomon co-chaired IPCC Working Group I, leading the compilation of the Fourth Assessment Report on “The Physical Science Basis.” The IPCC was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts. This report comprehensively integrated global climate science research findings, laying a crucial foundation for international climate negotiations and providing key scientific evidence for the 2015 Paris Agreement. Key conclusions in the report, such as “warming of the climate system is unequivocal” and “most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations,” have become cornerstones for global discussions on adaptation, mitigation, vulnerability, and resilience.
In 1994, “Solomon Glacier” (78°23′S, 162°30′E) and “Solomon Saddle” (78°23′S, 162°39′E) in Antarctica were officially named in her honor, recognizing her outstanding leadership and contributions to Antarctic research. This honor holds special significance for a scientist who has dedicated her life to studying polar and planetary climate systems. Beyond scientific research, Professor Solomon has long been committed to public communication of science and sustainability concepts. She has delivered hundreds of lectures worldwide, briefed numerous governments and international organizations, and testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress on climate and atmospheric issues, actively promoting the connection between scientific knowledge and public policy.