‘In the Netherlands you can think big’

Toby Kiers researches fungal networks around plant roots, Joyeeta Gupta is convinced that environmental issues can only be solved if developing countries are not left behind. It is the first time that the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded the award exclusively to foreign scientists. Gupta is originally from India, Kiers from the United States.

The two scientists will each receive 1.5 million euros to spend on scientific research. For comparison: the Nobel Prize is about 1 million euros.

The Spinoza Prize jury describes Gupta as ‘a prominent member of the global community concerned with environmental issues’. In 2007 she won the Nobel Peace Prize together with the other scientists of the IPCC climate panel.

According to the jury, Kiers has already achieved an awful lot given the stage of her career. Among other things, she conducts research into the trade in nutrients between underground fungi and plants. “Kiers was the first to demonstrate economic principles outside the animal kingdom,” said the jury.

However, Gupta and Kiers are unknown to the general public. Time for an introduction.

Why did you choose the Netherlands as a country in which to conduct science?

Gupta: ‘I had studied law in the United States and was planning to go back to India, but I would work in the Netherlands for six months in between. It turned out differently: I fell in love and stayed here.’

Kiers: ‘After my PhD I wanted to continue my research into subsurface biodiversity. I knew that there was a famous group in the Netherlands that dealt with mycorrhizal fungi – fungi that live between plant roots. I contacted and came to the Netherlands. Science financier NWO turned out to be very open to foreign researchers. Anyone can apply for scholarships. That is not the case in all countries.’

What is the most important scientific insight you have gained?

Gupta: ‘Justice is needed to solve the climate problem or other environmental problems. Otherwise we get stuck. Take the energy transition, for example. Most fossil fuels are located in developing countries. And if the North doesn’t buy it, they will sell it to each other. There are many of those countries, and they are quite powerful. So you have to get developing countries on board to solve the climate problem. That only works if they see a solution as fair.

“I think about what that justice might look like. We have calculated what the consequences would be if everyone in the world had access to the basic needs of energy, water, food and infrastructure. This shows that it is impossible to achieve those development goals without further exceeding the boundaries of the earth. If we don’t want that, we will therefore have to talk about a fair distribution of the natural resources that are available.’

Kiers: ‘Very briefly: I make the invisible visible. I do that together with biophysicists like Thomas Shimizu – I would like to mention his name. We create detailed images of how molecules move between plant roots and underground fungal networks.

‘It is very important to know how this works. The fungi absorb carbon and release nitrogen and phosphorus in return. Just this week I published an article that shows that the mycorrhizal fungi annually release an amount of CO₂ equivalent to one-third of fossil fuel emissions. They therefore dampen the effect of climate change.

‘It’s almost too good to be true, because while the fungi absorb carbon, they give back nitrogen and phosphorus. Those are exactly the nutrients that are needed in agriculture. So these are useful insights for regenerative agriculture.’

How do you see the role of the scientist in society?

Gupta: ‘I’m not protesting in the street. But I am a bit more activist than a scientist who only writes papers. I think we can’t keep living the way we are living now. Our society is very linear: we take a lot from the environment and we throw all our waste back into the environment. We should actually have a completely different economy and society. I work as much as possible on the regulations within which we can then live.’

Kiers: ‘I want to be someone who talks about her research. After all, the public pays for science, and as far as I’m concerned, the resulting knowledge should play a role in the debate. I also believe that scientists are there to bring about change. I myself campaign for underground biodiversity, with the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks that I founded in 2021.’

How do you intend to spend the money from the Spinoza Prize?

Gupta: ‘I would like to work on a global constitution in which the environment and development are linked.’

Kiers: ‘I want to see in the lab how the climate affects the mycorrhizal fungi.’

Is there a typical Dutch approach to science?

Gupta: ‘The research is very structured, as is the writing. Elsewhere it is more fluid. And we are very focused on working together here. Talk to each other a lot and seek consensus.’

Kiers: ‘You can think big here. Nobody says to you: don’t do this or don’t do that. That stimulates creativity, and that is very important in science.’