German president urges rethink of lifestyles to protect the climate

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged policymakers not to lose sight of climate protection amid the pressures of day-to-day politics as he presented the German Environmental Prize in the western city of Aachen on Sunday.

"We know that we need to question our way of life and the way we conduct our economic affairs. Why? So that we can leave our children and grandchildren a planet worth living on," Steinmeier said.

The past summer had demonstrated the dramatic consequences of global warming for everyone, he said, pointing to wildfires, low water levels on German rivers, and 16,000 additional deaths in Germany, according to the health authorities.

Steinmeier noted that Europe was warming more than twice as fast as other continents.

The German Environmental Prize recognizes achievements that make an outstanding contribution to protecting and preserving the environment. With prize money of €500,000 ($560,000), it is one of Europe's most valuable environmental awards.

This year's prize was shared between Klaus Vossenkaul, an engineer from the Aachen region, and Hamburg-based lawyer Roda Verheyen.

Vossenkaul is being honoured for his innovative advances in membrane filtration technology for wastewater treatment at sewage plants. Verheyen is receiving the award for her work enforcing legal requirements aimed at improving environmental and climate justice.

Climate lawyer warns of devastating consequences

Verheyen welcomed the award but expressed alarm at the pace of global warming, citing UN projections that the planet is on course to warm by 2.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

"That means millions of deaths," Verheyen told dpa. "We are putting ourselves in immense danger of wiping ourselves out - not the planet, but humanity," she said.

A lawsuit largely driven by Verheyen led Germany's Constitutional Court to rule in 2021 that lawmakers had to strengthen the country's climate requirements.

Steinmeier said in his speech that Verheyen had worked to establish safeguarding the climate as a principle of international law.

The German president urged people to act: "We must do everything in our power to prepare for the consequences of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and, above all, protecting our natural resources," he said.

"These resources help stabilize our climate: soils and forests, wetlands and seas. Let us seize every opportunity to do so!" he added.

Innovation cuts wastewater treatment energy use

The other prizewinner, Vossenkaul, was recognized for developing membrane filters that purify wastewater at sewage treatment plants while dramatically reducing energy consumption.

He told dpa that the filtration process had previously been highly energy-intensive, but his team had developed a method that cut energy use by up to 90%.

"We are currently building a large production facility," Vossenkaul said. "The goal is quite clear: to become the world market leader in this field."

Steinmeier praised the engineer's work for helping protect the environment while also strengthening Germany's economy.

The president, whose term ends early next year, said the Environmental Prize had grown "closer to his heart with each passing year."