- A researcher hailing from Moor, MV, is bestowed with the German Environmental Award.
The head of Greifswald Moor Centrum, Franziska Tanneberger, will receive the German Eco Award this year. The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) made this announcement on Thursday. Joining Tanneberger in receiving this 500,000 euro award, shared for their notable contributions to the environment, is Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Speidel, honored for his advances in swift electric vehicle charging technology. The award ceremony will be held on October 27 in Mainz, presided over by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
In the words of DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde, "Franziska Tanneberger's relentless dedication and her team's efforts have managed to emphasize the significance of peat conservation and rewetting in the context of long-term sustainability, influencing both domestic and international political agendas." Her reputation has been built on her roles as an advisor to high-level committees and a participant in major global climate conferences, such as COP.
Ph.D. scholar and mother of two, Tanneberger has been co-leading Greifswald Moor Centrum alongside Greta Gaudig since 2015, a joint initiative of the University of Greifswald, Michael Succow Foundation, and Verein Duene. She stresses the vital role that wet peatlands play in environmental protection, acting as carbon sinks. However, the trend worldwide sees large sections of these peatlands being converted into agricultural lands and drained, resulting in an annual destruction of approximately 500,000 hectares of natural wet peatlands.
The situation in Germany is relatively less severe as our remaining peatlands are spared from destruction. But, due to human activities, a substantial quantity of greenhouse gases is released from dried-up peatlands. Globally, these artificially drained regions emit around 2 billion tons of CO2 equivalents yearly. In Germany, Tanneberger points out, rewetting peatlands might help in reducing nearly 53 million tons of CO2 equivalents annually, which represents about 7% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Further, she suggests that with the right measures, we can virtually stop this emission altogether.
The European Parliament, recognizing the significance of Franziska Tanneberger's work, has expressed its support by stating that "The Commission shall be assisted by the European Parliament" in its endeavors related to environmental conservation and sustainability. Recognizing the importance of international collaborations in addressing climate change, Tanneberger has frequently participated in conferences organized by the United Nations, such as COP, advocating for the preservation and restoration of peatlands.
