State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia awarded to Klaus Töpfer
Klaus Töpfer has been awarded the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia in recognition of his services to sustainability and environmental protection. Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the achievements of the former Federal Environment Minister and thanked him for his work at national and international level.
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State premier Armin Laschet (at left), former Federal Environment Minister Klaus Töpfer and Chancellor Angela Merkel at the award ceremony in Bonn
Photo: Bundesregierung/Steins
The fact that Klaus Töpfer’s achievements have been recognised with the award of the State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia is an incentive for her to push ahead with the upcoming climate-policy decisions, said Chancellor Angela Merkel at the award ceremony in what used to be the plenary chamber of the German Bundestag in Bonn.
The State Prize is the highest award conferred by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1986 the prize, and the 25,000 euros that come with it, has been awarded once a year in recognition of exceptional scientific, cultural or philanthropic achievements. Former award winners include Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Alice Schwarzer and Jürgen Habermas.
Pioneer, visionary and man of action
"Thinking tomorrow today" – that’s what Klaus Töpfer has been doing for decades, said Angela Merkel in her laudatory address. He has often been ahead of his time, and has brought together national and global perspectives. Back in 1993 he was already advocating ambitious CO2 reduction targets.
"The incorporation of environmental protection as a national objective in the German Basic Law or constitution was also largely Klaus Töpfer’s doing," continued Angela Merkel.
Remain critical and think of tomorrow
Today, Klaus Töpfer is warning us about climate measures such as geo-engineering. It is impossible to predict the risks of interventions like this in global ecosystems, and it is not clear whether or not it will be possible to take corrective action at a later date.
The Chancellor would like to see the "visionary and man of action" Klaus Töpfer tread on politicians’ toes a bit more often, as indeed she would like to see from the young generation. Criticism encourages her to keep working and does good, she said. She reminded her audience how important it is to keep thinking of tomorrow.
Klaus Töpfer served as Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety from 1987 to 1994. From 1994 to 1998 he held the post of Federal Minister for Regional Planning, Housing and Urban Development. He was a member of the German Bundestag from 1990 to 1998. He then went on to work as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi and as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. He is also active in numerous environmental and sustainability organisations.