Comenius University Awards an Honorary Doctorate to Prince Albert II. of Monaco
Bratislava, 14 October 2019: Today Prince Albert II of Monaco received an honorary doctorate (doctor honoris causa) for his activity in natural and cultural heritage and in fighting the impacts of climate change. The doctorate was awarded following a proposal by the Faculty of Natural Sciences, whose scientists the prince has been working with.
The diplomatic activity of Albert II has contributed to environmental protection, the rational use of natural resources, and a growing respect for natural and cultural heritage. Special attention has been paid by the prince to protecting human health, leading the fight against famine as well as the fight against violence against women and children, and supporting sports activities. He is very active in environmental matters.
In 2006 Prince Albert II of Monaco (full name: Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi) established the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which has the primary goal of supporting science and education in environmental protection. More than 55 million euros have been so far used towards supporting projects in this endeavour. Priorities include managing climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, protection of endangered species, alternative sources of energy, and ocean acidification. In recent years the foundation has been focusing on eco-system services and the protection of pollinators, particularly bees.
Prince Albert II emphasized that people can no longer treat the environment as something they own and can do with as they please; even politicians are now becoming aware of the gravity of the challenges faced. “The understanding of the world has changed. It is no longer the case that humankind is vulnerable and that nature poses a threat to us, as we thought for thousands of years. Today humankind is the destructive force and nature needs to be protected from it. Protected by the actions of each of us,” the prince said. “We still have the power to do something; let us not waste this chance now, given that we have the knowledge in our hands,” he added.
The further development of existing cooperation between the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Monaco was formalized this year with the signing of a mutual agreement on cooperation in the area of environmental protection. Albert II is supporting projects of remote identification system modules for the semi-automatic searching for invasive non-native species in the European context. “Working with the foundation broadens the possibilities of modern tools for environmental protection, particularly in the area of biological invasions in the European context,” said Faculty of Natural Sciences dean Peter Fedor.
“Many political elites are hindering environmental activity despite calls from the professional community. Academic institutions are more and more intensively publicly supporting the rational use of natural resources and the moderate and long-term sustainability of social development which is not at the expense of future generations. In this context, the diplomatic, financial, and professional activities of Albert II in the effort to lessen the effects of climate change on society are praiseworthy and a model for others to follow,” said Comenius University rector Marek Števček.