Stanford climate scientist Rob Jackson has been jointly awarded the 2025 Blue Planet Prize for his contributions to measure and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases. The award, which comes with $500,000, recognizes individuals or organizations whose work has significantly advanced solutions to pressing environmental problems.
“Like freedom and equality, environmental progress and a safe climate are at risk. The Blue Planet Prize is both reminder and call to action, and I am grateful for it,” said Jackson, the Michelle and Kevin Douglas Provostial Professor of Earth System Science in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
Jackson is internationally recognized for his research on the carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, and wetlands. His studies have illuminated the complex relationships among soil, vegetation, and microbial communities, and have quantified the greenhouse gas balance in both natural environments and those affected by fossil fuel use.
Since 2017, Jackson has chaired the Global Carbon Project, an international, comprehensive effort to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under his leadership, the project has become a key resource used by governments and climate negotiators worldwide to track carbon budgets and inform climate policy.
“Rob’s sustained global leadership and groundbreaking work at the intersection of ecology, biogeochemistry, energy, and climate change have shaped how today’s environmental challenges should be understood and addressed,” said Pep Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project.
Jackson began his global environmental change research as a postdoctoral scholar in the Stanford lab of ecologist Hal Mooney, a 2002 Blue Planet Prize recipient. Since then, a hallmark of Jackson’s career has been his ability to translate scientific discovery into real-world impact that has informed policies and highlighted the tangible benefits of environmental action.
Among other impacts, his research has revealed that gas stoves emit harmful indoor air pollutants even when turned off. Other work has helped quantify methane emissions from oil and gas fields and city pipelines, showing they are often underreported. Jackson’s 2024 book, Into the Clear Blue Sky, illustrates the health and environmental benefits of switching from fossil fuels to clean energy – a transition facing stiff headwinds from federal policy in the United States.
“I worked with Rob and others measuring the emissions and associated health impacts from gas stoves,” said Yannai Kashtan, an air quality scientist at PSE Healthy Energy who was a graduate student in Jackson’s lab. “He is unwaveringly focused on the impact his lab’s work will have out in the real world.”
“Scientists rarely work alone,” Jackson said. “The world needs environmental champions now more than ever, and I’m grateful to everyone fighting for cleaner air and water and a livable planet.”
The Blue Planet Prize, presented annually by the Asahi Glass Foundation, is one of the world’s leading environmental awards. The 2025 award ceremony will take place in Tokyo on Oct. 29, followed by commemorative lectures at the University of Tokyo and Kyoto International Community House. Jeremy Leggett, founder and CEO of Highlands Rewilding Ltd. and inaugural chairman of the Carbon Tracker Initiative, will also receive the prize.
Jackson’s recognition places him among a distinguished group of environmental leaders, including previous Stanford recipients Mooney, Paul Ehrlich, Eric Lambin, and Gretchen Daily.
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This story was adapted from a press release originally published by The Asahi Glass Foundation.
Jackson is also a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy.
This story was originally published by Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
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Rob Jordan
