Ramanathan, Veerabhadran

Veerabhadran "Ram" Ramanathan (born 24 November 1944) holds the title of Professor Emeritus at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He was Edward A. Frieman Endowed Presidential Chair in Climate Sustainability Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He has contributed to many areas of the atmospheric and climate sciences including developments to general circulation models, atmospheric chemistry, and radiative transfer. He has been a part of major projects such as the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) and the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), and is known for his contributions to the areas of climate physics, Climate Change and atmospheric aerosols research. He is now the Chair of Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions education project of University of California. He has received numerous awards, and is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He has spoken about the topic of global warming, and written that "the effect of greenhouse gases on global warming is, in my opinion, the most important environmental issue facing the world today." He is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, an organization established by the Vatican to promote scientific research and advise the Pope on scientific matters. He was appointed as an ordinary member on October 7, 2004, and serves on its council. In this capacity, he has personally advised Pope Francis on climate change issues. He was influential in the creation of Laudato si', the Pope's encyclical on climate change.