Videos

Fiji’s Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, has been consistently advocating and raising the alarm about the dangerous consequences of climate change and the vulnerability of Pacific countries. Under his leadership, Fiji was the first country to ratify the Paris Agreement. Fiji aims to have zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Dr. Fabian Leendertz is a recognized world authority on primate diseases and zoonotic disease specialist. Dr. Leendertz examined the emergence and persistence of pathogens such as Ebola and Anthrax in wildlife and what these and other infectious diseases mean for great apes and humans.

Known as the “Father of Environmental Justice”, Professor Robert D. Bullard is a scholar, activist and leader of the environmental justice movement. Through extensive research and advocacy, he has served as a catalyst of environmental racism for four decades.

Known as “the man who stopped the desert”, Yacouba Sawadogo from Burkina Faso has been working since the early 1980's to turn barren land into forest in the Sahel. By modifying the Zaï technique, he teaches farmers to regenerate their soil with innovative use of indigenous and local knowledge.

Nemonte Nenquimo leads the Waorani people living in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest. In 2019, the Waorani won a legal victory to protect half-a-million acres of rainforest from oil drilling, setting a precedent for regional indigenous rights. She co-founded Ceibo Alliance to unite indigenous communities in protecting their lands and livelihood.

Roberta Annan, Li Bingbing, Gisele Bündchen, Aidan Gallagher, Ellie Goulding, Dia Mirza, Lewis Pugh, Alexander Rendell and Antoinette Taus present the Champions and Young Champions of the Earth 2020.

On 11 December 2020, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced six laureates of the 2020 Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honour. The Champions were chosen for their transformative impact on the environment and their leadership in urging bold and decisive action on behalf of the planet and its inhabitants. Since its inception in 2005, the annual Champions of the Earth award has brought visibility and validation to some of the world’s most dynamic environmental leaders, from pioneering scientists and captains of industry to heads of state and community activists.

The awards celebrate inspirational and motivational examples of the potential of individual and collective action to change the world. Together, they Act #FORNATURE.