Prof Hans Joachim Schellnhuber from Germany won 2017 Blue Planet Prize, world’s most prestigious award for pioneers in environmental science.
He was awarded for establishing new field of science ‘Earth System Analysis’ and introducing most influential concepts including the notion of tipping elements in the climate system in Tokyo. He is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
Beside him, Prof. Gretchen C. Daily from US also won the award for her work promoting practical conservation by revealing the value of nature.
Blue Planet Prize
It is the world’s most prestigious award for pioneers in environmental science and often considered as Nobel Prize for environmental research. It was instituted by Asahi Glass Foundation. It honours outstanding thinkers who help to meet challenges of planetary dimensions. It carries prize of 50 million yen (about $450,000) and is handed over in presence of Japan’s Imperial Prince and Princess.
Previous recipients of prize include the Syukuro Manabe who is considered as godfather of climate modelling, Norway’s former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and Charles Keeling who gave his name to the famous Keeling curve of atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements.