Top Ecology Prize Awarded to Sabadell-Born Scientist
Dr Pep Canadell, a biologist born in Sabadell in 1961 and executive director of the Global Carbon Project, has been awarded the 22nd Ramon Margalef Prize for Ecology 2026 by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The €80,000 prize recognises his pioneering international research on carbon sinks, global carbon cycles and the role of natural systems in regulating Earth's climate. The award jury highlighted the practical value of Canadell’s work in shaping public policy and guiding decisions during the climate emergency. Canadell, who is also a principal researcher at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and part of the World Climate Research Program, has helped coordinate global scientific teams to improve climate data analysis.
A Career Bridging Catalonia and Global Science
Canadell trained at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) under ecologist Jaume Terradas, a direct student of Ramon Margalef. Reflecting on the award, Canadell said it deeply connects him with his personal and professional roots. He recalled attending lectures by Margalef at the University of Barcelona as a student, describing him as a brilliant theorist who foresaw the centrality of ecology in understanding planetary change. The Generalitat established the Ramon Margalef Prize in 2004 to honour careers or discoveries that significantly advance ecological sciences or support the sustainable management of natural resources, territory and seas. The prize is open to individuals and groups worldwide.
The great problem isn’t climate inertia, it’s human inertia: we built a fossil-fuel system over 100 years and now must dismantle it at speed.
Climate at a Tipping Point
In an interview conducted from Australia, Canadell warned that global warming has reached 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels and is on track to hit 1.5°C within five years. He stressed that extreme heatwaves across Europe in summer 2026 are no longer abstract projections but lived physical experiences affecting millions. He cautioned that natural carbon sinks, forests and oceans, currently absorb half of human CO₂ emissions, but signs of strain are emerging. The Amazon rainforest’s carbon absorption capacity is uncertain, and boreal forests in the northern hemisphere have suffered unprecedented wildfires since 2021.
Methane Cuts Offer Fast Climate Relief
Canadell emphasised the urgent need to reduce methane emissions, which cause intense warming over the first 11 years but dissipate within decades. He said cutting methane provides near-immediate climate benefits, unlike CO₂, which persists for millennia. Half of methane emissions come from fossil fuel leaks, which he described as economically wasteful and easily fixable. The other half stems from agricultural sources, particularly livestock digestion. He noted that if populations in wealthy nations followed recommended nutritional guidelines on red meat consumption, agricultural methane emissions could be halved overnight.
Carbon Removal Tech Is Not a Solution
Rejecting hopes that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will rescue the planet, Canadell called it a dangerous myth. He argued that direct air capture is too expensive, inefficient and energy-intensive to scale. The real, proven path, he said, lies in rapidly reducing emissions, not betting on unproven technological fixes.
Primary sources: eb.gencat.cat, tramits.gencat.cat, crai.ub.edu. Reported by rab.cat, noticiasde.es, europapress.es, ddd.uab.cat, UAB - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Ara Cat.
