All Laureates

Small Island Developing States are on the frontline of the war against climate change, both in terms of suffering the greatest damage and calling most stridently for action. Palau, a low-lying archipelago in the Pacific Ocean home to just over 20,000 souls, is one such country. The small islands that make up Palau are breath-taking in their…

Minister Izabella Teixeira is a career employee of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), which she joined in 1984 as an Environmental Analyst. Over her 28 years as a civil servant she has held several high-level management and advisory positions in the federal area. She took office as Minister of…

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'.…

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-…

President Calderon has been a strong voice for the environment on the world stage since his election in 2006.

He has been praised for his stewardship of international climate change negotiations – most recently as host of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, last year. The Cancun talks resulted in several new initiatives…

Providing a green twist on Jules Vernes’ famous voyage, adventurer Louis Palmer successfully led a fleet of electric vehicles around the world last year. The “Zero Race” teams crossed the globe in eighty days, highlighting two of the major environmental challenges facing the world today- the need for more sustainable transport and cleaner…

His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed has been the President of the Maldives since 2008. He has received global recognition for his efforts to curb climate change and raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly as it related to island-nations.
He featured prominently in the international media in the run-up to, and during, the United…

Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo has gained international recognition for his position on environmental issues within his country and on the global scale.

As the President of a country with 40 million acres of untouched rainforest, Mr. Jagdeo worked on inviting donors and investors to pay for the protection of the forests…

As the Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway, Erik Solheim put into place the Nature Diversity Act and the Norwegian Climate and Forest Initiative, which facilitates close cooperation with Brazil, Indonesia and Guyana to conserve rainforests and provided critical input to the establishment of UN Programme on…

Kevin M. Conrad is a Papua New Guinean lawyer and environmentalist, whose efforts have centered on reducing deforestation, strengthening forest conservation and recognizing the value of tropical forest ecosystems. He has made a significant contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) especially…