We are delighted to announce that Prof. Frank Biermann, founder and inaugural chair of the Earth System Governance Project, has been awarded the prestigious Volvo Environment Prize 2024 in recognition of his pioneering contributions to global sustainability governance.
Since the first award 35 years ago, the Volvo Environment Prize has become one of the scientific world’s most respected environmental prizes. This year’s award will be celebrated on 15 October in Stockholm, Sweden, with a prize ceremony and seminar. Frank Biermann is the first political scientist to receive this honor.
In their citation for the 2024 award, the Volvo Environment Prize Jury stated: “Frank Biermann has been defining new pathways for international environmental governance in a period of global change. He has spearheaded research that has advanced our understanding of how international institutions might improve our collective ability to mitigate global environmental risks and adapt to unavoidable changes.”
Frank Biermann played a foundational role in initiating and shaping the Earth System Governance Project. Starting in 2005, he pioneered the concept of earth system governance and chaired the planning committee responsible for setting up the ESG Project and developing its first Science and Implementation Plan, which was endorsed by the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change in 2008. Following this, Biermann served as chair of the ESG Project’s first Scientific Steering Committee, overseeing the expansion of the network for over a decade. Under his leadership, the project grew into today’s vibrant global research community, with annual ESG conferences, a rapidly growing body of research fellows and lead faculty, numerous strong taskforces and working groups, a network of affiliated research centers, and three publication series with MIT Press and Cambridge University Press and our flagship Earth System Governance journal. He also secured funding for the first two international project offices, hosted by Lund and Utrecht, and various other activities.
In 2018, Frank Biermann stepped down as chair of the Earth System Governance Project. Since then, he continues to actively contribute to our network, as a member of various taskforces, as co-editor of the book series and editor-in-chief of the ESG flagship journal, and as a mentor to many members of the next generation of researchers in the field.
Prof. Biermann’s lifelong commitment to advancing research on global sustainability governance makes him a truly deserving recipient of this award. We congratulate Prof. Biermann on this impressive achievement. We greatly appreciate not only his vision in establishing the network but also the tireless enthusiasm he has brought to the community and his ongoing dedication to its flourishing. The character of his work – which shows both an unwavering commitment to sustainability and an openness to engaging with diverse views – is an inspiration for the kind of community we aim to build.
