The prestigious Motomundi award was conferred to the Professor Fossi on 30 December for her activities in defence of the environment, for having provided the world’s first evidence of the effects of microplastics on whales in 2012, and for the scientific coordination of Plastic Buster project, that aims to monitor and mitigate the impact of plastic in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Here the Motomundi award motivation:

“Internationally renowned scientist. A woman whose studies on microplastics and in particular the impact they have on biodiversity in the Mediterranean are a worldwide reference.  Professor of Ecology and Ecotoxicology at the University of Siena, she is a guiding light on urgencies and turns the spotlight on the need to develop a new culture of the environment because microplastics in the seas and oceans are not a problem for the future but an emergency”

The Motumundi Prize is annually awarded by Vitale Onlus in collaboration with the European Commission, the Italian General Directorate for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the context of the international climate and environment festival Motumundi, which rewards personalities from the academic, institutional, artistic and social worlds who have distinguished themselves for their commitment to environmental sustainability.