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CO²-reduction gets a price

The German Environmental Award for 2020 is shared by two exemplary projects in climate and environmental protection. The winners of the 500,000 euro award are the economist and climate researcher Prof. Dr Edenhofer and the entrepreneurs Annika and Hugo Sebastian Trappmann.

The insect researcher Dr. Martin Sorg is awarded a special honorary prize of 10,000 euros for his research in the field of rapidly increasing insect extinction.

Prof. Dr. Edenhofer receives the prize for his proposal of a CO² price, which would provide the state as a market actor with an effective instrument for regulating CO² emissions. Prof. Edenhofer is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC). He is considered as one of the world's most influential pioneers in the economics of climate change.

The family siblings Annika and Hugo Sebastian Trappmann are managing directors of the mid-sized "Blechwarenfabrik Limburg". They are being honoured with the German Environmental Award for their particularly sustainability-oriented energy and resource-saving production methods. The high-tech measures established in production are an excellent example of best practice and point the way for many other manufacturing industries.

With his personal commitment and his scientific work, Dr. Martin Sorg has made an impressive contribution to bringing insect mortality into the public focus. Through his analyses, he has substantiated the decline in insects and thus confirmed the warnings of numerous researchers about a dramatic decline in biodiversity. The research results triggered a broad echo in the media and science, which ultimately led to a broad social and political debate on the topic.

Deutscher Umweltpreis 2020