Last week, Stanford biological sciences Prof. Peter Vitousek was awarded the Japan Prize for his environmental research.
One of the most prestigious awards in science, it is bestowed annually by the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan to researchers in two annually chosen areas. Vitousek, who won for contributions to “biological production and the environment,” will travel to Japan in April to receive his award, a cash prize of 50 million yen, which equates to roughly $550,000.
Vitousek, shocked by the honor, appreciated the prize and viewed it as an opportunity to promote his field of research. “I think this award recognizes that a lot of us in the scientific community are turning toward thinking about science versus sustainability,” he said.
“What do we need to know to better manage human impacts on the world and to maintain a better human society?” he continued.
Vitousek’s scientific trajectory began nearly four decades ago with a single book—C.S. Elton’s “Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants”—transforming a political science major at Amherst into an environmental scientist. Since that watershed moment, Vitousek has been studying human impacts on the environment mainly through the prism of biogeochemical cycles.
Initially focused on his home state of Hawaii as a model system, he has since expanded his studies to examine nutrient imbalances around the world. Last summer, he co-authored a widely publicized article in Science magazine illustrating the detrimental effects of agricultural practices in the developing world.
His recent research interests have converged on the cultural aspects of sustainability.
“My sense is the native Hawaiian cultures and other indigenous cultures have a lot of understanding and worldviews that will help in the process [of sustainability],” Vitousek explained.
Vitousek is actively involved with Stanford’s First Nations’ Futures Program for native Hawaiians and New Zealand Māori. He cites the ability of traditional Hawaiian agricultural practices to sustain a large population without any external input as a lesson that can be applied to areas of the world lacking the capital to sustain inputs.
Vitousek also wants to understand the undercurrents that drive some cultures toward sustainability and others away.
“As I get older, I get more impressed with the importance of culture and worldview as opposed to knowledge in determining what people do,” he said. “We take science or economic techniques and tools to show us the path in detail, but we’ve chosen the path because of culture and belief systems.”
However, Vitousek’s love for the raw sciences remains undiminished.
“You’re out in the field with him, and he’s like a kid,” said Naupaka Zimmerman, a Ph.D. candidate in Vitousek’s research group. “He loves being out there. You’re tromping through tangled ferns and he’s out there faster than anybody.”
Vitousek’s passion for environmental research is colored by a genuine sense of optimism. With population growth no longer accelerating as dramatically, he believes that minimizing human impact will amount to more than “shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic.”
He also points to changes he’s seen in his 25 years of teaching at Stanford. “I see many more students who possess both a passionate commitment and an interest in solutions,” Vitousek said.
And if you have that passionate commitment?
“Great things can happen.”