Greifswald/Berlin (dpa/mv) - The Greifswald professor and moor expert Hans Joosten received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Friday. News anchor Susanne Daubner, who moderated the ceremony at Bellevue Palace, called him a "pioneer in the search for ways to protect the climate".
The native Dutchman drew attention to the climate-damaging effects of drained moors and the positive effects of rewetting. With the Greifswald Moor Center, he co-founded one of the world's most sought-after research centers for climate protection. He also showed practical ways of using moors in climate-friendly agriculture within the framework of what is known as paludiculture, thereby shaping a whole new discipline. "In addition to his scientific work, he has always been involved in political debates," said Daubner.
The scientist, who was born in 1955, coined the demand "moor must be wet!". After studying biology and various scientific positions, the moor expert and winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize, Michael Succow, brought him to Greifswald in 1996. Initially, Joosten was a research assistant there. Eventually he headed a working group until 2021. Even after the end of his work at the university, Joosten did not let go of the Moore, as he said last year.
After countless publications, he can already show several awards. Last year, together with the biodiversity researcher Katrin Böhning-Gaese, he received the German Environmental Prize, which is endowed with 500,000 euros.
The award ceremony took place on the occasion of the upcoming Day of German Unity. Under the motto "Building Bridges", 20 people were to be honored who, according to the Office of the Federal President, make an outstanding contribution to finding solutions to the global challenges of our time such as the war of aggression against Ukraine, the corona pandemic, poverty reduction, migration and climate change find and to strengthen the cohesion in our country.
