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.

Pioneering global 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.

In 2005, Biermann founded the Earth System Governance Project, a pioneering transdisciplinary network focused on sustainability governance. This large global research community has developed a variety of impactful study projects and policy proposals to drive the global sustainability agenda forward.

Shaping sustainability beyond 2030

One of Biermann’s most significant recent research areas has been the effectiveness of the SDGs, adopted by the UN in 2015. After reviewing 3,000 studies on the political impact of the SDGs, Biermann and his team found that while the goals have raised awareness, they have yet to catalyse the transformative changes necessary to achieve true sustainability by 2030.

Looking ahead, Biermann has called for a fundamental rethinking of global governance beyond 2030. He advocates for stronger international institutions capable of addressing the world’s escalating environmental crises. Biermann stresses that, without more cohesive and coordinated global action, “achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements will prove unlikely to materialize.” He continues, “Governments need to join forces to agree on fundamental reforms in the global governance systems that are no longer fit for purpose for the challenges of the 21st century.”

The jury for the Volvo Environment Prize praised Biermann’s leadership in advancing the understanding of how international institutions can mitigate global environmental risks. In their citation, they stated: “Frank Biermann has been defining new pathways for international environmental governance in a period of global change. His research has significantly enhanced our understanding of how international institutions can improve our collective ability to mitigate global environmental risks and adapt to inevitable changes.”