Political gatherings - Klaus Töpfer, a past Environmental Minister, passes away.
The ex-Federal Environment Minister and CDU member Klaus Toepfer has passed away. The news was announced by a spokesperson for the Federal CDU on Tuesday, following a brief yet severe health issue. Toepfer was 85 years old.
Nicknamed "the green conscience" of the Christian Democrats, his support for environmentally sustainable politics was unwavering till the end. The "Neue Westfalen" and "Westfalen-Blatt" publications had previously released information about Toepfer's demise.
He became widely recognized for diving into the Rhine river from a police boat back in 1988 - a stunt triggered by a bet he had lost. In 1987, Toepfer replaced Walter Wallmann as Environment Minister, holding the position till 1994. Angela Merkel (CDU) then took over as Chancellor.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 spurred the government under Chancellor Helmut Kohl (CDU) to combine environmental matters with nuclear reactor safety into a different ministry. By 1988, Toepfer advocated for a future without nuclear power and limited use of fossil fuels.
Born in 1938 in Silesia, Toepfer moved to Hoxter in Westphalia after the Second World War. His political career commenced in the 1970s in the Saarland, where he acquired a position at the state chancellery. As time passed, he became State Secretary and later Minister for Environment and Health in Rhineland-Palatinate, culminating in a transition towards federal politics. Despite unsuccessful attempts at becoming the CDU's top contender in the Saarland state election twice, he continued to uphold his interests in environmental protection and sustainability, even after his tenure as Federal Environment Minister.
In 1996, Toepfer represented Germany at the UN-Habitat Conference in Istanbul. The conference focused on urban quality of life, encompassing issues of poverty and the environment. From 1998 to 2006, he served as Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Toepfer's residence was in Hoxter, North Rhine-Westphalia, where he lived with his wife before his passing.
Klaus Toepfer's biography at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation is available online.
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