Frank Biermann receives the Volvo Environment Prize 2024

The award recognizes Biermann’s groundbreaking contributions to advancing global governance systems to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Traditionally, the Volvo Environment Prize has honoured natural scientists, but Biermann’s pioneering work on the UN and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlights the crucial role of political science in global sustainability efforts.

“The scientific understanding of the global environmental crisis is clear and unequivocal. What we lack are effective and equitable political institutions to address these numerous challenges. This year’s Volvo Environment Prize highlights the critical role of political science in identifying innovative pathways for more effective and just global sustainability governance,” said Biermann, who is a member of SEI’s Science Advisory Council (SAC).

As part of the SAC, which advises SEI’s Board on essential research directions, Biermann’s expertise in global sustainability governance is critical and he plays a key role in shaping the institute’s research priorities and ensuring its continued leadership in interdisciplinary sustainability research.

Biermann’s recognition as the first political scientist to receive this prestigious award highlights the growing importance of interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability. His research also emphasises the importance of global collaboration in the social sciences, bringing together scholars from around the globe for joint research projects on environmental and sustainability governance.

Biermann’s work has been instrumental in redefining global governance frameworks, especially those of the UN and other international organizations, to better address critical issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable development. His research stresses the urgent need for stronger and more effective governance systems to mitigate environmental risks and ensure long-term sustainability. With growing pressures on the planet’s natural systems, Biermann argues that without swift and cohesive governance reforms, the world risks falling short of crucial sustainability goals.