Steinmeier: We must question the way we live and do business
Osnabrück/Aachen. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for a rethinking of the way we live and conduct business “in order to leave our children and grandchildren a planet worth living on.” However, he noted, this is not a task that can be accomplished by a single country or individual, but rather a shared responsibility “as a global community, as a whole society.” Speaking today (Sunday) at the ceremony for the presentation of the German Environmental Award by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) at the Eurogress Aachen, the head of state also urged everyone to seize every opportunity to prepare “to the best of our ability for the consequences of global warming.”
Bonde: Preserving and Strengthening Natural Resources in Our Own Best Interest
The DBU German Environmental Prize, with a total prize fund of 500,000 euros, is one of the most highly endowed environmental awards in Europe and will be awarded this year in equal shares to engineer Dr. Klaus Vossenkaul and Hamburg-based environmental lawyer Dr. Roda Verheyen. Vossenkaul is being honored for his innovative advancements in membrane filter technology for wastewater treatment in sewage treatment plants, while Verheyen is being recognized for her work in enforcing legal requirements for greater environmental and climate justice. In his speech at the ceremony, Steinmeier said that, given concerns about stability and security, “for many people right now, thoughts of environmental and climate protection have taken a back seat.” Nevertheless, even if it sounds paradoxical, “we are feeling the gravity of the situation quite literally—we Europeans, too. Our planet’s temperature curve is clearly on the rise.” Climate change is hitting Europe “particularly hard—our continent is warming more than twice as fast as all others.” According to the Federal President, regardless of day-to-day political events, the only response to this can be to do everything in our power to combat global warming, “by reducing greenhouse gases and, above all, protecting the natural resources that help stabilize our climate: soils and forests, wetlands and oceans.” DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde added: “We must preserve and strengthen these natural foundations of life in our own best interest. That is why the German Federal Environmental Foundation and its subsidiary, DBU Naturerbe, support precisely such projects. And with the Marine Nature Conservation Fund, the DBU has a powerful tool at its disposal to better protect the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.” Steinmeier reaffirmed that there are opportunities to prepare for the consequences of climate change. “And that is exactly what makes the German Environmental Prize so valuable: it instills in us a healthy dose of drive and hope. We are not powerless in the face of all this.”
Technological Progress and the Evolution of the Law
Referring to Verheyen and Vossenkaul, the Federal President said he was pleased “that today we are honoring two individuals who have made outstanding contributions both to technological progress and to the advancement of the law.” As a lawyer, Verheyen “has shown many people ways to fight for their interests when it comes to human-induced climate change and its consequences.” Steinmeier addressed Verheyen directly: “You have stood by them and made their voices heard in their disputes with corporations and governments to secure what you call ‘our right to a future’ for all of us.” The Federal President recalled Verheyen’s “crucial role in ensuring that the Federal Constitutional Court issued its ruling on climate neutrality by 2045.” According to Steinmeier, the ruling “extended the fundamental rights and freedoms to be protected today to include those of future generations.”
The EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive must be transposed into national law by July 2027
Membrane filtration engineer Vossenkaul, in turn, is an “outstanding technological pioneer,” according to Steinmeier. With a touch of humor, he added that it’s almost impossible to give a laudatory speech in Aachen without mentioning Karl. In this case, however, he wasn’t referring to Charlemagne, but to the European Union’s (EU) Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, also known as KARL for short. It is intended to ensure, through additional processes, that microplastics harmful to health, dangerous germs and pathogens, as well as pharmaceutical residues, are filtered out of wastewater. EU member states have until July 2027 to transpose the directive into national law. Technical innovations form the basis for this. Vossenkaul’s advanced membrane technology is contributing to this effort. According to Steinmeier, this technology is far ahead of the KARL era because the hollow-fiber membrane filters help with the retrofitting and upgrading of wastewater treatment plants, “while saving space, energy, and thus costs.”
Federal President: The German Environmental Prize has grown dearer to my heart with each passing year
Steinmeier used the speech to reflect on his personal experience. He has presented the DBU’s German Environmental Award every year since 2017, although in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time, he was only able to participate via video message. “This award has grown dearer to my heart with each passing year,” said the Federal President. He added that he had always “looked forward to the award ceremony with curiosity and excitement” and enjoyed “getting to know people with dedication and innovative ideas.” That is why it fills him “with a touch of wistfulness that today is the last time I will be able to present it.” Steinmeier’s term in office ends next year.
- Data, figures, and facts are also available on the DBU Environmental Award blog: https://www.dbu.de/umweltpreis/umweltpreis-blog/
Background:
The DBU’s German Environmental Prize, which will be awarded for the 34th time in 2026, honors the achievements of individuals who make exemplary contributions to the protection and preservation of the environment. Employers’ associations, labor unions, churches, environmental and nature conservation organizations, scientific associations, research communities, the media, the skilled trades, and business associations are eligible to submit nominations to the DBU. Self-nominations are not permitted. A jury of independent experts from business, science, technology, and civil society—appointed by the DBU Board of Trustees—recommends award recipients for the respective year to the DBU Board of Trustees. The DBU Board of Trustees makes the final decision. Information about the German Environmental Award and the winners: https://www.dbu.de/umweltpreis.