American environmental science professor Gretchen C. Daily and German climate researcher Hans J. Schellnhuber were honored in Tokyo on Wednesday after winning this year's Blue Planet Prize, awarded for contributions toward helping solve global environment problems.
The winners, announced in June, and their spouses joined a ceremony at the Palace Hotel Tokyo near Tokyo Station in Chiyoda Ward.
Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko attended the ceremony, and the prince delivered a congratulatory speech.
Schellnhuber, the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, was awarded for establishing a new field of science known as Earth system analysis.
Daily, the Bing professor of environmental science at Stanford University, received the award for her contributions toward the new interdisciplinary field of countryside biogeography.
The winners were given ¥50 million each, a certificate of merit and a commemorative trophy.
The Asahi Glass Foundation established the prize in 1992 to recognize research and innovation related to the environment.