Alain Hubert Awarded an Honorary Doctorate

On May 28th, Alain Hubert and three other meriting scientists were awarded an honoris causa degree by the University of Hasselt in Belgium.

The university chose Alain Hubert, civil engineer, founding President of the International Polar Foundation and author of the Princess Elisabeth Station project in Antarctica, for having demonstrated "how existing scientific knowledge can foster rational solutions in facing today's social challenges."

The awarding of this honorary doctorate was first suggested by the university's Faculty of Architecture for the exceptional concept of the Princess Elisabeth Station. The university's other faculties quickly supported the idea, choosing to pay tribute to Alain Hubert's achievements as an explorer and scientist to preserve the planet's environment in face of today' economical development.

In his speech, Alain Hubert gave a significant reminder: "We do not have the luxury to wait anymore until the ideal technology to drastically cut emissions is found. We have to go much faster and go for a minimum of 60% of emissions cuts leading towards an energy efficient society by the end of the century."