Climate change is the biggest overall societal problem we face around the world. I say this particularly in view of the fact that the financial and economic crisis is placing a tremendous burden on us. As companies we have to master this challenge by choosing a course oriented around sustainability.
(Werner Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG)

Professor Jochem never passes up an opportunity to point out what is possible. He is not a lonely admonisher, but rather possesses detailed knowledge of the circumstances in which decisions are made. This is where he contributes his expertise.
(Dr. Wolfgang Plischke, member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG responsible for Innovation, Technology and Environment, and member of the Board of Trustees of the Bayer Foundation)

We lose tremendous amounts of energy in nearly all areas - such as the conversion of energy to electricity, where we lose 42 to 60 percent. In cars, 80 percent of energy is lost before power even arrives at the axle. And in industry the average energy losses amount to 50 percent. In terms of the energy system, modern industrial society is still in the iron age of energy history.
(Professor Eberhard Jochem)

Professor Jochem’s scientific analysis has had a major influence on the development and verification of climate policies at the national and international level. Apart from his specific findings, Jochem is particularly noted for his ability to integrate technical, scientific and economic aspects into his studies.
(Professor Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, Secretary General of the European Research Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bayer foundation)

In collaboration with other institutions, Eberhard Jochem and research scientists at ISI have investigated the effects of the German government’s climate policy measures in several research projects. The results show that climate protection is truly worthwhile. Overall, we can make a profit on every ton of CO2 that is avoided. And this would also have a significant knock-on effect on employment: By 2020 we expect half a million new jobs as a result, and by 2030 even as many as 800,000. Investment by companies in sustainable technologies and the training of employees will help safeguard future employment.
(Marion Weissenberger-Eibl, Professor for Innovation and Technology Management at the University of Kassel and Head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karlsruhe)

Prof. Jochem plays a decisive part in ensuring that sustainable development strategies are also integrated into climate policy. He carries out pioneering work with the aim of combining technical solutions for cleaner energy with effective social education. He is correct to call for learning networks. This is crucial in determining whether we make progress on the road to an energy-efficient society. With regard to climate policy, anyone who puts their trust in amazing technical solutions of the distant future will reach their target later and make the process more expensive. The real challenge is energy efficiency, and the solution lies in the social sector. In the German Council for Sustainable Development [Nachhaltigkeitsrat], Prof. Jochem has always advocated learning to learn and been committed to pointing out new ways of doing so. Many congratulations on your Bayer Climate Award.
(Dr. Günther Bachmann, Member of the German Council for Sustainable Development)

We not only know Prof. Jochem as an outstanding theoretician in the area of climate sciences, but also owe him the highest recognition for the practical implementation of his findings; for example through his intensive commitment to “learning energy efficiency networks”, which constitute a meaningful model for Germany, as they combine energy efficiency and cost efficiency and thereby tap into potential in the industrial sector in a cost-effective manner.
(Dr. Carsten Rolle, Director of the Energy and Raw Materials Division in the Federation of German Industries (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie – BDI))

Our future will depend on whether, by employing technology and innovations, we can exploit the economic opportunities in such a way that we can remain competitive in the international market and simultaneously meet our stringent requirements when it comes to protecting our natural resources. This creates high demands with regard to energy and material efficiency. It is principally these issues of the future that Professor Eberhard Jochem has been addressing for decades. In these areas, he has produced a large body of scientific work which constitutes a starting point for the cost-efficient use of energy, and puts forward suggestions on how to develop instruments of energy and climate policy. The many years he spent working at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) in Karlsruhe also gave him the opportunity for close contact with those working in the field and with the technical demands and ideas of the industry. The Bayer Climate Award fittingly honors his commitment to industry and science.
(Dr. Carsten Kreklau, Member of the Management Board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI))