TUM-IAS at UC Berkeley for the Award Ceremony of the Sustainability Awards 2024

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel co-developed the concept of Ecological Footprint in the 1990s. This metric measures how fast we consume resources and generate waste compared to how fast nature can absorb our waste and generate resources. Today, it is one of the most widely used sustainability metrics in the world which is largely adopted by governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals as a fundamental tool for understanding and managing our environmental impact. 

Mathis Wackernagel co-founded in 2003, the think tank Global Footprint Network to advise politics and organizations. The think tank launched in 2006 the annual Earth Overshoot Day Campaign, which marks the date when humanity has used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year. 

Prof. Volker Sieber, Dean of the TUM Campus Straubing and member of the Final Selection Committee spoke in his laudatory speech to Mathis Wackernagel about “a visionary scholar man whose contributions to sustainability and resource management have changed the way we understand and handle our relationship with Earth.” 

Finally, Sieber pointed out that “Mathis’ insight that overshoot is the overarching dynamic, and climate change just one of its symptoms points us to the right direction to go to the roots of today’s challenges and not just tamper with the symptoms.”

Prof. Klaus Butterbach-Bahl is a German biogeochemist and well-known researcher for his works on nitrogen cycles and greenhouse gas emissions at regional and global levels, particularly in relation to their agricultural and ecological impact.

In her laudatory speech to Klaus Butterbach-Bahl, Prof. Akissa Bahri, professor emeritus at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT), former minister of Agriculture in Tunisia, and member of the pre-selection committee of the Awards, described the work of Klaus Butterbach-Bahl as “pioneering research on the nitrogen cycle highlighting the environmental challenges of nitrogen overuse.” His innovative tools and methodologies “paved the way for sustainable nitrogen management strategies, shaping international climate policies and enabling sustainable farming practices worldwide.”

Klaus Butterbach-Bahl applied research to practice and has constantly been sharing his knowledge with farmers, collaborators, and young scientists. As stressed by Akissa Bahri, “his interdisciplinary approach and commitment to capacity building have ensured that the next generation is well-equipped to tackle the complex challenges ahead and to implement sustainable agriculture in diverse contexts.”

Dr. Jiuhui Qu, former Director of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Distinguished Professor at Tsinghua University received the Sustainability Awards for his work in developing purification technologies of water, ensuring safe drinking water across urban and rural areas. His work positively impacted more than 200 million people in China and around the world.

As an Advisor to the UN Environment Program (UNEP), Jiuhui Qu has been instrumental in establishing a dynamic collaborative framework for sharing and adapting water treatment technologies between China and other developing nations such as Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Prof. Slav Hermanowicz, professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley and member of the pre-selection committee of the Awards, gave a laudatory speech to Jiuhui Qu and pointed out the technological transfer and sustainable character of Jiuhui Qu’s research: “Professor Qu's contributions extend beyond technical innovations. His leadership in fostering public-private partnerships has been crucial in translating scientific research into practical applications. […] His work has not only addressed immediate water safety concerns but has also laid the groundwork for sustainable water management practices that will benefit future generations.”