At the award ceremony for the German Environmental Prize 2026 in Aachen, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized the urgent necessity of protecting the climate. Speaking Sunday, he noted that the past decade has been politically turbulent, and public focus on environmental and climate issues has been inconsistent. Currently, amidst widespread concerns about “stability and security,” these critical topics often take a backseat in the eyes of many people, despite the increasingly clear impact of climate change.
Steinmeier pointed to the severe weather events of the previous summer, during which temperature records were broken across Europe and around the world. He cited vivid examples, including the intense fires that swept the French Atlantic coast, the accelerating retreat of Alpine glaciers, widespread crop desiccation, the drying up of riverbeds, and the severe disruption to navigation on major waterways.
The President highlighted the disproportionate impact of these events on vulnerable groups in society, such as the elderly and the sick, referencing the Robert Koch Institute’s report that cited 16,000 additional deaths in Germany. Furthermore, the economic damages generated by these environmental events have been measured in tens of billions of euros.
Calling for action, Steinmeier urged that global warming be combated by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and by protecting natural resources. He remained optimistic, asserting that technological advancements offer new opportunities to overcome these challenges. He stressed the importance of recycling methods, the decarbonization of the construction and industrial sectors, and utilizing legal instruments available within the German rule of law.
The award, presented by the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU), this year goes to the Hamburg environmental lawyer Roda Verheyen and Klaus Vossenkaul, an engineer specializing in membrane filters from Roetgen near Aachen.
