The Courageous Scientists Award for Environmental and Climate Justice is an international science award that honors researchers who show exceptional courage in standing up for environmental protection, climate justice, and human rights, often at great personal risk. The award recognizes scientists who confront environmental destruction, corruption, and political failure, and who translate scientific knowledge into public action, frequently under dangerous conditions. Each laureate receives a 5000 € prize, intended to support and amplify their important work. You can find out more about the award and the reasons given by the jury on the website.
The award was presented for the first time on Saturday, 15 November 2025, at the jazz club Porgy & Bess in Vienna. Five outstanding scientists and activists from five continents were honored for their courageous commitment. Below is an overview of the 2025 laureates:
The 2025 Award Recipients
Olanrewaju Suraju – Africa (Nigeria)
Suraju is a Nigerian human rights and environmental activist and the chairman of the HEDA Resource Centre. His work exposes environmental destruction, corruption, and governance failures within the extractive and energy sectors in West Africa. He advocates for transparency, accountability, and climate justice, strengthening civil society in the process.
Dr. Elisa Privitera – Europe (Italy)
Dr. Privitera is an Italian researcher who studies the social and ecological impacts of industrial pollution, particularly in Sicily. She works closely with affected communities to make environmental injustice visible and to promote sustainable and socially just development pathways.
Dr. Rose Abramoff – North America (USA)
A professor of forest sciences, Abramoff researches carbon dynamics in soil and forest ecosystems. Beyond academia, she is deeply engaged in public science communication and political action, including civil disobedience, to draw attention to inadequate governmental responses to the climate crisis.
Olivia Bisa Tirko – South America (Peru)
An Indigenous leader of the Chapra Nation in the Peruvian Amazon, Tirko combines traditional knowledge with scientific advocacy. She fights for the ecological restoration of her territory, demands accountability for oil pollution, and successfully opposed the expansion of an oil extraction project on Indigenous land.
Cynthia Houniuhi – Pacific (Solomon Islands)
Houniuhi is an Indigenous lawyer and co-founder of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change. She played a key role in initiating a historic request for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on states’ obligations in the climate crisis, marking a major milestone in global climate justice jurisprudence.
