Every year, 600 of the best young scientists from all around the world meet 30-40 Nobel Laureates for a week of inspiration and exchange. These gatherings are called the "Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings".

It is a week of looking towards the future and deliberating solutions together for the challenges we face today. Everyone joining us here in Lindau traveled a greater or shorter distance by some means of transportation. they came by train, car, and many by plane, coming from Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North or South America. On average, each individual journey to Lindau has generated an astounding 1,280 kg of carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Throughout the week in Lindau, scholars and Laureates meet in the newly expanded and renovated Inselhalle. They listen to lectures, eat and drink together, and participate in social events. Meeting bags, programmes, participant directories, presents, badges and lanyards will be provided. All these papers, gadgets and trinkets used during the meeting cost resources and energy. They create waste and CO₂ (and more). Taking this into account, one could think it would be best to host fewer conferences and travel less.

We, however, also believe that scientific exchange and the inspiration we share during the Lindau Meetings are of utmost value. So, what then can we do to minimise or compensate the negative consequences of our actions?

This is how our support for the Degermoos renaturation project began.

To counteract the climate damaging effects of excess anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, we are supporting a marshland renaturation project in the area called the „Degermoos“. This area is located approximately 15 km north of Lindau, and has an area of roughly 100 hectares.

Why Marshlands?

• Marshlands play a key role when it comes to climate protection – they are highly efficient natural carbon reservoirs.
• Marshlands accumulate and preserve dead biomass because low oxygen conditions prevent its degradation. Consequently, most organic carbon remains in the soil and only little is remineralised and ends up as CO₂ in the atmosphere.
• Marshlands on average store 700 tons of carbon per hectare. That’s six times the amount a forest can store!
• Around 30% of the world’s soil-bound carbon is stored in marshlands although they only cover 3% of the land surface.
• The drainage of marshlands leads to the creation of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrous oxide (N2O), which is 310 times as climate damaging as CO₂.

Renaturation of Marshlands

• Marshlands in their natural state are mostly climate neutral or can be CO₂ sinks. The most important factors are the water levels and an intact ecosystem.
• The renaturation of marshlands has the great benefit of binding and saving vast amounts of greenhouse gases, most notably CO₂.
• Restoration particularly includes the careful rewetting of marshlands by removing drainage channels.

Implementation

• Donations raised for the project will be used to implement such renaturation measures.
• Measures will be carried out by district-level organisations (Landschaftpflegeverband Lindau-Westallgäu) and local environmental protection organisations (Bund Naturschutz), in cooperation with the county (Landkreis), district (Regierung von Schwaben) and state (Freistaat Bayern) authorities.
• Up to 90% of the cost can be funded via a matching grant approach by funds from environmental protection scheme KLIP2050.