Laureates by Category

Jack Dangermond is an American business executive and environmental scientist. In 1969, he and his wife Laura founded the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), a privately held Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software company.

A landscape architect by training, Dangermond…

Dr. Janez Potočnik became a Member of the European Commission in May 2004. As the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Potocnik is recognized for his strong commitment to the mainstreaming of the environmental dimension in the development of a more resource-efficient economy, as reaffirmed by his recent call for a 'New Environmentalism'.…

Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo is responsible for achieving Biosphere Reserve status for the Sierra Gorda under an exceptional public-private co-management system. Through her work and advocacy, 33 per cent of the State of Querétaro is now protected as a Biosphere Reserve. In 2008, the Sierra Gorda in the neighboring state of Guanajuato also achieved…

Dr. Ramanathan is a Distinguished Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD. In the 1970s, he discovered the greenhouse effect of CFCs and numerous other manmade trace gases, and forecasted in 1980 that global warming would be detectable by the year 2000. He, along with Paul Crutzen, led an international team that first…

Born into a dynasty of scientists who have explored the heights and depths of the planet, Bertrand Piccard achieved the first ever non-stop round-the-world balloon flight. An internationally renowned medical doctor and psychiatrist, aeronaut and lecturer, initiator of the Solar Impulse program, chairman of the Winds of Hope charitable…

Dr. Van der Leeuw has spent his career studying human-environment relations and invention and innovation in society, applying the lessons learned from history to help understand why humanity is not facing up to the long-term issue of environmental change.

He works at Arizona State University as Dean of the School of Sustainability and…

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber is a leading business and political figure, championing the development and deployment of renewable energy and clean technology solutions.

In 2006, Dr. Al Jaber spearheaded the launch of Masdar, an Abu Dhabi-based commercial venture aimed at advancing clean energy to the forefront of the global power business.…

Mr. Barbosa is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most successful banking executives to integrate environmentally and socially conscious practices into his leadership.

He is based in São Paulo, Brazil, where he serves as Chief Executive Officer of Abril S.A., one of Latin America’s largest and most influential media…

President Tsakhia Elbegdorj of Mongolia, who was among the leaders of the peaceful democratic revolution that ended communist rule in 1990, has realized his commitment to putting a green agenda at the forefront of policies since coming to power in 2009.

Elbegdorj has turned his attention to decreasing air pollution, triggered by over-…

Samson Parashina, a Maasai warrior, son of a local chief and respected safari guide, has shown amazing commitment to developing sustainable green economy models for Kenya’s Kuku Group Ranch, land communally owned by the Maasai community.

Parashina started as a waiter at an ecotourism lodge, but swiftly rose to become the President of the…