If you ask me what Izaña is, I’d say, “Izaña is Emilio.”

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On Friday, we woke up to the sad news of the passing of our colleague and former director, Emilio Cuevas. He had been battling an illness for several years, and his departure has left a great void, not only in the scientific community, since his commitment to the study of the atmosphere and climate change was well known, but also among all his colleagues and friends.

The truth is, we owe Emilio a great deal. Not only for his scientific contributions but also for giving us his vision that Izaña and the Canary Islands could be an international reference in the study of the atmosphere. Now it seems easy, and everyone talks about climate change, greenhouse gases, Saharan dust, etc., but if we go back to the late 1980s, this was not the norm, much less a priority. Anyone familiar with the history of Izaña knows that at that time, beyond some international interest in taking advantage of the atmospheric conditions in the Canary Islands, there was neither the interest nor the adequate infrastructure to study and observe the atmosphere. And under those circumstances, Emilio began to inspire those around him with his passion, and almost from scratch, and often against the current, he convinced them of the importance of studying the atmosphere, positioning the Izaña Observatory as a world leader, just as he had envisioned.

Anyone fortunate enough to have a conversation with him, I doubt, was left indifferent, as his words conveyed that passion and vision for the future that, for some, made them uncomfortable, but which honestly defended the need to address the challenges facing society only through science and collective effort, and to act immediately without making excuses. He also maintained that “Izaña was the people who made it up,” and acknowledged, whenever possible, that this was the driving force behind everything’s functioning and progress, sharing the credit for his achievements, which, in any case, would not have been possible without the work of many.

In these difficult times, we can only say thank you for having been able to imagine what Izaña could be, and for sharing your passion for this wonderful world with us. We will miss you.

Carlos Torres

Director CIAI