Magdeburg. Europe’s best endowed environmental award, worth € 500,000, was presented for the tenth time. Federal President Rau presented the German Environmental Award of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, Professor Klaus Töpfer (64, Nairobi), and the Founder and Manager of the Prophyta GmbH, Dr. Peter Lüth (46, Wismar) in Magdeburg today. He underlined that destruction and thoughtless exploitation of nature were responsible for armed conflicts and human sorrows in many countries of the world. Rau: "Therefore anyone, who stands up for peace, safety and a fair development in the world must keep an eye on the protection of natural life essentials." The DBU honoured Mr Töpfer for his outstanding achievement in international environmental protection as highest-ranking German in the UN and Dr. Lüth for the development and production of biological pesticides.

In his speech Federal President Rau demanded an intensified joining procedure of different interests: of the rich and the poor countries, of those with a lot or a lack of natural reserves, of North and South. Natural resources becoming scarce could raise the risk of political and military tension based on economic interests. He thought of the competitive thinking when dealing with the topic "water". Therefore it was important to take much more advantage of the inexhaustible energy sources in the future. Undoubtedly the present economic activities of industrial countries created a change in climate. A world-wide copying of behaviour and of the energy consumption level meant that our world could not be saved. As soon as possible international agreements had to be put into practice and the results of Kyoto had to come into effect at last.

Unquestionably there were always different interests, but also a strong demand for balancing by a forum of international organisations. With Klaus Töpfer the UNEP was headed since 1998 by a German who made it to his business to fulfil these criteria and his task with a superhuman effort. He had given a lot of impetus for a balance of economy and ecology.

This topic was also pursued by Professor Michael F. Jischa, Technical University of Clausthal and member of the German Environmental Award Jury. He outlined the conflict between the industrial countries on the one hand with their priority going to environmental protection, regarding the population explosion in the Third World countries as main reason for the environmental crisis. On the other hand the poor countries who regarded the wasting and uninhibited consumption in the industrial countries for the main cause of environmental problems and thus demanding first their own development before thinking of environmental protection. If the developing countries would copy successfully the welfare model of industrial countries it would lead to an ecological collaps of the planet Earth." The Third World could not become similar like the first one is at present, but inevitably the first could not remain like it is still today.

Only thanks to Klaus Töpfer’s efforts a conclusive agreement could have been signed in 1992 in Rio. But still a great deal of convincing had to be done in the face of the present world economical order which had produced welfare and poverty, abundance and shortage, wasting and scarcity. This demanding task could only be solved by the United Nations, the Worldbank, the World Trade Organisation and others. The German Environmental Award Jury would trust now in new impetus of Mr Töpfer.

After Professor Jischa had appreciated the achievement of Töpfer as Federal Minister for the Environment he turned to the "scientist, visionary and realist" Dr. Peter Lüth. Facing hazardous chemical pesticides with an enormous threat for nature and man he had developed biological methods. But the only way to develop marketable laboratory bio-products was lengthy, full of stones and strenuous - and obviously not gone on the part of chemical magnates or state research facilities.

Dr. Lüth who was awarded a doctorate at the University of Rostock had founded the Prophyta GmbH with former colleagues in Malchow on the Island of Poel in 1992 - a company with a present headcount of 17 and which got the first licence for biological pesticides in Germany. Dr. Lüth’s innovation permitted the development of further biological products after the same method, two further ones were ready for an introduction on the market. Jischa: "We hope and believe that the award is a signal to make people aware of the advantages of eco-biological pest control."

The Federal Minister for the Environment, Jürgen Trittin, appreciated the achievements of both prizewinners. Mr Töpfer had become a "synonym" for the protection of the global environment." He had taken the side of the environment and sustainable development and enjoyed confidence all over the world among environmentalists. Dr. Lüth was a pioneer in successful development and marketing of biological pesticides. Knowing that one million people all over the world suffered from threats caused by chemicals and that pesticides destroyed water and soil, he hoped that the success of Mr Lüth would even encourage other scientists to follow up his idea, mentioned Minister Trittin.

Adressing an audience of some 1,200 in the MARITIM Hotel the former President of the Federal Bank and Chairman of the DBU Board of Advisors, Professor Hans Tietmeyer, reminded in the face of the tenth presentation of the German Environmental Award that when the first awarding ceremony had taken place in Berlin in 1993 the development of the "experiment German Envrionmental Award" had been not foreseeable. Meanwhile 24 prizewinners had been awarded, the ceremony had been celebrated in 9 Federal States. Professor Tietmeyer: "Innovative and exemplary people, outstanding scientists, superhuman commitment and life works characterise our prizewinners."

The Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Professor Wolfgang Böhmer appreciated that the present awarding ceremony took place in Magdeburg. He underlined that this was a recognition of Saxony-Anhalt. The speed of ecological and economical change in Eastern Germany and especially in his state was incomparable. The DBU had become an important initiator and sponsor of innovative projects, with almost 300 projects and a total amount of financial backing of € 64.5 million in Saxony-Anhalt. It was proven by all achievements which had been awarded with the German Environmental Award that "environmental protection and technological improvements are not in contrast to each other.”