SFI External Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber on October 4 was awarded Germany's Order of Merit, first class, by German President Christian Wulff.
Schellnhuber is the founder and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and an outspoken proponent of policies that promote sustainable climate practices.
The award citation says Schellnhuber's "great commitment has significantly contributed to a general change in awareness in national and international climate policies."
In his speech at the beginning of the awards ceremony at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Christian Wulff said Schellnhuber as a "tireless admonisher" knew that "we need a radical shift in awareness, an about-turn to a sustainable, resource-preserving economy."
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