Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for fire ecologist
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honors Johann Georg Goldammer
On German Unity Day, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded 28 citizens with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany – including Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Johann Georg Goldammer, head of the Fire Ecology Research Group and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Freiburg University. The Federal President personally presented him with the Cross of Merit on 1 October 2024 at his official residence, Bellevue Palace in Berlin.
In his speech, the Federal President recognized the special commitment of those honored: "You all show that we can change and shape things together. What unites us are the democratic values on which our free democracy is founded." With regard to research, he emphasized: "Many of you are committed to environmental and climate protection. With innovative ideas and groundbreaking research, you are committed to a future worth living in. You show that we not only have to rethink, but can also successfully implement new approaches."
In the laudation, Johann Georg Goldammer was referred to as one of the most experienced forest fire experts in the world, who brought the topic of forest fire prevention and control to the United Nations. To this day, Johann Georg Goldammer heads the Fire Ecology Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry. The group is based in Freiburg and hosts the Global Fire Monitoring Center.
The GFMC was established in 1998 as a German contribution to the United Nations and operates at the Science-Policy Interface by offering advisory support countries to develop science-based integrated fire management capacities and fire management policies; and international and intergovernmental organizations in cross-boundary cooperation in fire management.
The Order of Merit is the highest honour awarded by the Federal Republic of Germany for services to the common good. It is awarded for political, economic-social and intellectual achievements.