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Baltic Sea Fund recognizes the impacts of climate changes on the Baltic Sea

Presse release Baltic Sea Fund: The Baltic Sea Fund delegation decided on its annual meeting to award Professor Hans von Storch from Hamburg, Germany, for his work on highlighting the impacts of climate change on the Baltic Sea. The Lasse Wiklöf parliamentarian prize is awarded to former Prime Minister and Speaker Paavo Lipponen. The Åland Award is given to entrepreneur Soile Wartiainen. The total prize sum is 33,000 euro.

Die Åland-Stiftung für die Zukunft der Ostsee (Baltic Sea Fund) beschloss auf seiner Jahresversammlung den Hamburger Professor Hans von Storch für seine Arbeit zu den wesentlichen Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Ostsee mit einem Preis zu ehren. Den ebenfalls vergebenen „Lasse Wiklöf Parlamentarier Preis“ erhält der ehemalige Ministerpräsidenten Paavo Lipponen. Den „Åland-Award“ erhält die Unternehmerin Soile Wartiainen. Die Gesamtpreissumme beträgt 33.000 Euro.

 Prof. Hans von Storch

Prof. Hans von Storch, Institut für Küstenforschung, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht. Photo: HZG

The prize-winners were announced today by the chair of the delegation, Åland County Governor Peter Lindbäck, at a press conference held in Mariehamn. The prize ceremony will take place on Saturday, the 9th of May, in Mariehamn.

The justification of the delegation:

Professor Hans von Storch from Hamburg, Germany is awarded € 20 000 for his efforts to shed light on the effects of climate change on the Baltic Sea. He has given an exemplary contribution to compilation of fragmentary information and knowledge into a comprehensive picture of the impact of climate change in the region. Von Storch is through his interdisciplinary collaboration, e.g. with social scientists, and through his interest in the social and human aspects, been able to increase the understanding of climate and climate change in the wider socio-economic context among policy makers and the general public.

Lasse Wiklöf-prize
Former Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament, pol. mag. Paavo Lipponen from Helsinki, Finland, is awarded Lasse Wiklöf’s Baltic Sea Award of 10,000 €. Paavo Lipponen was a very close friend of Lasse Wiklöf and functioned as a good mentor for Lasse. He encouraged Lasse in his practical work in environmental issues in everyday political work, both in the Åland Islands and in the Nordic cooperation. Paavo Lipponen has as Prime Minister for 8 years, as the Speaker of Parliament for 4 years and in the Nordic cooperation emphasized the importance of environmental issues.

Åland Award
Entrepreneur Soile Wartiainen from Mariehamn, Åland Islands, is awarded € 3 000 for her long-standing professional and volunteer efforts to introduce, promote and highlight organic farming on Åland. She has been a pioneer in the area and shown that it is possible to combine business with a nonprofit environmental awareness through the tradename SOLKLART. She was one of the initiators of Ålands Natur och Miljö and has served as an advisor in the association Ålands hushållningssällskap.

Background information:

For further information, please contact:


Lotta Nummelin Managing Director

The Baltic Sea Fund

Phone: +358-18-15270

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