I am delighted and honored to have been appointed patron of the International Convention of Environmental Laureates, which convenes from 14 – 17 March 2013 in Freiburg. The convention aims to bring together high-caliber environmental laureates to support and drive forward sustainable policies in Europe.
Faced with the increasing number of sometimes severe crises taking Europe and the world by surprise, it is imperative that we join forces and work together. A strategic approach is needed here so that we can negotiate a long-term solution to escape this myriad of crises and actively pursue sustainability to protect our environment. With the energy revolution, Germany has met this huge challenge head on. Other countries, particularly in Europe, are keen to see whether we succeed.
Science, business, politics and society as a whole must all come together to make this goal a reality. Only by joining forces can we create a bright future for generations to come. The International Convention of Environmental Laureates is an excellent platform in this respect, boasting participants from an array of disciplines and an attractive program.
Welcome Address
Patron Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus Töpfer
Biography Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus Töpfer
Born on 29 July 1938 in Waldenburg/Silesia, Professor Klaus Töpfer is the Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam, which was established in 2009; the Senator of the Helmholtz Association; the former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi and an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. He is also Vice President of Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and was Co-Chairman of the Ethics Commission on Safe Energy Supply, which was established by the German Federal Government in 2011.
He studied in Mainz, Frankfurt am Main and Münster, graduating with a degree in Economics in 1964. From 1965 to 1971 he was a Research Assistant at the Central Institute for Spatial Research and Planning at the University of Münster, where he received his PhD in 1968 with the thesis “ Regional Politics and Location Decisions”. From 1978 to 1979 he was a Professor and Director of the Institute for Spatial Research and Planning at the University of Hannover, as well as a board member of the German Advisory Council on the Environment and a member of the management board of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (Reconstruction Credit Institute, KfW). He was appointed an honorary professor by the University of Mainz in 1985 and by the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tübingen in 2005. Since 2007 he has also been Professor of Environment and Sustainable Development at the University of Shanghai.
He has been a member of the CDU party since 1972 and was Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety between 1987 and 1994, Federal Minister for Regional Planning, Civil Engineering and Urban Development between 1994 and 1998 and a member of the German Bundestag between 1990 and 1998.
He has received numerous awards and honours, including the Federal Cross of Merit in 1990, the German Environmental Award conferred by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) in 2002 and the German Sustainability Award for his lifetime achievements in 2008.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Klaus Töpfer
