- Joan Carling is one of the most prominent fighters for environmental and indigenous rights in the Philippines.
- UN Environment is recognizing Carling for her tireless environmental action with a Champions of the Earth Award.
- For more than 20 years, Carling has been at the forefront of the fight for land and the environment.
26 September 2018 – Joan Carling, one of the most prominent fighters for environmental and indigenous rights in the Philippines, has been recognized for her work with a Champions of the Earth Award for lifetime achievement, the UN’s highest environmental distinction.
For more than 20 years, Carling has been at the forefront of the conflict for land and the environment, fighting for communities worldwide locked in deadly struggles against governments, companies and criminal gangs exploiting land for products like timber, minerals and palm oil, often bringing her into conflict with businesses and the Philippine government.
In her youth, Carling was inspired by the struggle against the construction of hydropower dams along the Chico River. If developed, these dams would have affected 16 towns and villages and displaced 100,000 tribal peoples, tearing apart their livelihoods and social fabric. Over the years, she has seen first-hand the environmental devastation caused by large dams and gold mining, and stood up against these projects.
“Joan Carling has shown us all the immense dedication and courage that has fueled her in her decades-long fight for environmental rights,” head of UN Environment Erik Solheim said. ”Unlike her adversaries, she is standing on the right side of history, and it’s our privilege and responsibility to stand alongside her.”
In February 2018, Carling’s name was added to a government list designating her a terrorist, outlaw, and threat to national security. Regardless of the threats she experiences in her home country, Carlin has continued to fight for environmental rights for decade, and is not even considering backing down.
“The global community must unite in solidarity and clamp down on tyrannical governments and corporations,” Carling said. “Defending environmental and human rights around the world must become a priority again. I share this award with every environmental activist, in recognition that there is hope that justice will prevail for our people and the planet.”
Global Witness, an international organization aiming to protect human rights and the environment, found that almost four environmental defenders on average, are being killed per week, with many more harassed, intimidated and forced from their lands. Around 25 percent of the 207 environmental defenders killed in 2017 came from indigenous communities.
The award was presented during the Champions of the Earth Gala in New York coinciding with the annual UN General Assembly meeting, which brings heads of states, ministers, and leaders of the public and private sector together to discuss some of the most urgent global issues.
The gala, attended by over 400 guests centered around some of the most radical positive forces for environmental change around the world.
Other winners of the Champions of the Earth Award were: Impossible Foods and Beyond meat, creating high-quality vegetarian meat-alternatives; the Zhejiang River Chiefs program, tackling water protection, pollution prevention, and ecological restoration; Cochin International Airport, the world's first fully solar-powered airport; and Emmanuel Macron & Narendra Modi for their international cooperation on environmental action and for spearheading the International Solar Alliance.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About UN Environment
UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, the civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.
About Champions of the Earth
The annual Champions of the Earth prize is awarded to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment. Since being founded thirteen years ago, the awards have recognized 84 laureates – ranging from leaders of nations to grassroots activists – in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society. Visit the website here: http://web.unep.org/champions.
For more information, please contact:
Keith Weller, UN Environment, Head of News and Media, keith.weller@un.org
- Announced today, the Champions of the Earth Awards, the UN’s highest environmental honor, will be presented to six outstanding environmental changemakers.
- The champions are recognized for their achievements in the categories including Policy Leadership, Entrepreneurial Vision, Science and Innovation, Inspiration and Action, and Lifetime Achievement.
26 September 2018 – Six of the world’s most outstanding environmental changemakers will be recognized today with a Champions of the Earth Award, the UN’s highest environmental honor. This years’ laureates are recognized for a combination of bold, innovative, and tireless efforts to tackle some of the most urgent environmental issues of our times. The winners of the 2018 Champions of the Earth Awards are:
- Joan Carling is recognized with the lifetime achievement award for her work as one of the world’s most prominent defenders of environmental and indigenous rights. Carling has been at the forefront of the conflict for land and the environment for more than 20 years. Her tireless and selfless fight for the environment has made her a champion to peoples and communities all over the globe.
- Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are jointly recognized in the Science and Innovation category, for their revolutionary development of a popular, plant-based alternative to beef, and for their efforts to educate consumers about environmentally conscious alternatives.
- Emmanuel Macron, President of France and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, are recognized in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, including Macron’s work on the Global Pact for the Environment and Modi’s unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022.
- China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme is awarded for Inspiration and Action for the transformation of a once heavily polluted area of rivers and streams in East China's Zhejiang province. This exceptionally successful eco-restoration program shows the transformative power of economic and environmental development together.
- Cochin International Airport will take home the award for Entrepreneurial Vision, for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. Cochin is showing the world that our ever-expanding network of global movement doesn't have to harm the environment. As the pace of society continues to increase, the world's first fully solar-powered airport is proof positive that green business is good business.
“In a world of uncertainty, this is certain: We will not solve the extraordinary challenges our world faces today without extraordinary talent, new thinking and bold ideas,” said Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim. “The Champions of the Earth Award and Young Champions of the Earth Prize recognize those not afraid to chart unknown waters or be the voice of the voiceless. These people are changing our world today for a better tomorrow.”
The awards will be presented during the Champions of the Earth Gala in New York City, on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly. The gala, hosted by actor and environmental activist Alec Baldwin and model, actress, producer and UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza, will bring together a cross section of world leaders and influencers to celebrate momentum for change in defense of our one planet.
The Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s highest environmental recognition celebrating exceptional figures from the public and private sectors and from civil society, whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment. Past laureates include: Afroz Shah, who led the world’s largest beach cleanup (2016), Rwandan President Paul Kagame (2016), former US Vice-President Al Gore (2007), Ocean Cleanup CEO Boyan Slat (2014), scientist-explorer Bertrand Piccard, and developer of Google Earth Brian McClendon (2013)
Also honoured at the event will be seven environmental trailblazers between the ages of 18 and 30, taking home the coveted Young Champions of the Earth Prize, for their ambitious project ideas to restore and protect the environment.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About UN Environment
UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, the civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.
About Champions of the Earth
The annual Champions of the Earth prize is awarded to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment. Since being founded thirteen years ago, the awards have recognized 84 laureates – ranging from leaders of nations to grassroots activists – in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society. Visit the website.
About Weibo:
The Champions of the Earth are organised in partnership with Weibo – China’s leading social media outlet for people to create, share and discover content online. Weibo combines the means of public self-expression in real time with a powerful platform for social interaction, content aggregation and content distribution.Sina Weibo has over 431 million monthly active users. www.weibo.com
For more information, please contact:
Keith Weller, UN Environment, Head of News and Media, keith.weller[at]un.org
Joan Carling is an indigenous rights activist and environmental defender from the Philippines. She has been defending land rights from grassroots to international levels for more than 20 years. Her main concerns include protection of land rights of indigenous peoples, ensuring sustainable development of natural resources and upholding human rights of marginalized people. She has actively participated in global processes to defend these concerns, including those related to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and REDD+. She has twice served as the Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and Chairperson of the Cordillera People’s Alliance. She was appointed by the UN Economic and Social Council as an indigenous expert and served as a member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues between 2014 and 2016. She is a member and co-convenor of the Indigenous Peoples Major Group for the Sustainable Development Goals. As an environmental defender, Joan has faced threats against her life and security.
Joan Carling: Building resilience to overcome injustice
I have dedicated my life to teaching about human rights. I have spent much of it campaigning for environmental protection and sustainable development. So, I was surprised to learn that I was labelled as a terrorist.
In February this year, I was placed on a list of alleged armed rebels in the Philippines. I haven’t been home since. It has uprooted me: I fear for the safety of my family and friends. But I need to stay more motivated than ever. I cannot give up the fight for my people.
I am from the Kankanaey tribe of the northern region of Cordillera: the land of gold. Our land sits on a mineral belt, rich in gold, copper and manganese. It belongs to us, the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera. Yet, our natural resources and way of life are threatened by mining companies and other so-called “development projects”. As of July 2000, over half of the Cordillera land had mining applications pending.
Selling our environment: at what cost?
I spent my childhood in a remote forest under logging concession. Nomadic communities from the forest often visited, travelling up to six hours to exchange their sweet potato or other crops for rice or sugar, which they couldn’t grow themselves. My parents would offer a meal, and it was from these simple exchanges that I learned humility, reciprocity, and respect for our diverse indigenous communities and cultures.
In my youth, I was inspired by the struggle against the construction of hydropower dams along the Chico River. If developed, these dams would have affected 16 towns and villages and displaced 100,000 tribal peoples, tearing apart their livelihoods and social fabric. Many of those who opposed the dam were jailed. Macli-ing Dulag, a Kalinga tribal leader, was assassinated. More killings took place in the name of national security and development.
When I was at the University of the Philippines, I spent two months in the Kalinga tribal area who fought hard to stop the Chico dams. What I learned from indigenous communities is this: when we destroy our landscape, we destroy ourselves. By defending our land, we also defend our future and the generations to come.
I was struck by their sense of community; their simple lifestyles, their cooperation and selflessness. Their culture and values are intrinsically linked to the land, their livelihood and identity just like my own kankanaey people. The way these people care for each other and the environment deeply moved and inspired me.
Over the years, I’ve seen first-hand the environmental devastation caused by large dams and gold mining. To us, these are not development projects. They are not designed by us nor for us. This is just resource extraction. Mines leave massive toxic waste, and communities collapse. These projects cause mass displacement, worsen poverty and destroy the cultural heritage of our people.
I’ve seen indigenous peoples living in remote villages silenced, unable to raise their voice to protect their land and the environment. I have worked with them for more than a decade to raise awareness, through protests and dialogue. We engaged with mining companies, dam builders, local authorities and the media, and formed support groups alliances for the protection of human rights and the environment. Despite the threats, risks, and more repression, I persevered in my work, along with other dedicated leaders.
Time to strengthen our resilience!
Through my work with communities in the Philippines, in Asia and beyond, I have realized that this is a global issue. We need to bring voices of indigenous peoples to the debate and raise them in front of policymakers. Indigenous environmental defenders are experiencing the devastating effects of militarization to give way to development projects. Indigenous leaders are jailed and killed, while communities are powerless. It’s heartbreaking, but it has also strengthened my commitment to work on human rights and environmental sustainability.
Together with other leaders, we are strengthening our networks and capacities. We are building alliances to protect our rights and the environment. We are campaigning regionally and globally for human rights and sustainable resource management, community-based climate change adaptation and renewable energy. In this way, we are building our resilience.
Indigenous peoples are not the enemies. We are not against development. We are conserving our environment for the future of humanity. But we cannot do this alone. The global community, governments, companies and civil society must act in solidarity, and assume responsibility for realizing sustainable development for all.
Since prehistoric times, humans have used animals as a rudimentary technology to transform plant biomass into highly valued, nutrient-dense foods, including meat and dairy products. These foods remain an important source of nutrition and one of the greatest sources of pleasure in the daily lives of billions of people around the world.
But our use of animals as a food-production technology has taken a heavy toll on the environment and raised some serious concerns about the future of food production.
“Efficient farming is not just a matter of production,” said James Lomax, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Programme Manager. “It is also about environmental sustainability, public health and economic inclusivity.”
Research shows that greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based food are almost double that of plant-based meat. But there are still significant knowledge gaps when it comes to the operational factors of these new food sources that need addressing before we can get the full picture of their carbon footprint. Experts also say that there is no "one-size-fits-all” model for sustainable food system transformation and that economic, political, and cultural contexts should be considered to realise this mitigation potential.
The magnitude of our food system problem has prompted two entrepreneurs to take action. Ethan Brown founded Beyond Meat in 2009 and Patrick O’Reilly Brown founded Impossible Foods in 2011. Both believe that plant-based meat is the future.
According to Brown and O. Brown, the greenhouse gas footprint of animal agriculture rivals that that of every car, truck, bus, ship, airplane, and rocket ship combined. Beef, the most commonly consumed meat requires “20 times more land and [emits] 20 times more GHGs per gram of edible protein than common plant proteins, such as beans, peas and lentils.” There is no pathway to achieve The Paris Climate Agreement’s objectives without a massive decrease in the scale of animal agriculture.
Brown and O. Brown argue that the global community can eliminate the need for animals in the food system by shifting the protein at the centre of the plate to plant-based meat. For their pioneering work towards reducing our dependence on animal-based foods, they have been selected 2018 Champions of the Earth in the category of science and innovation.
Ethan Brown, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Beyond Meat
As a child, Ethan Brown became interested in the question: what are the meaningful biological differences that justify which animals we eat, and which we don’t? The dilemma stuck.
It gnawed at him through university and into his work in the clean energy sector. By then, this dilemma had been joined by questions: what’s the most effective way to tackle greenhouse gas emissions – and are livestock major contributors? Roughly 80 per cent of agricultural land is used to make livestock feed or for grazing– is there a better way to produce protein? Are certain amounts and types of animal protein harmful for our health?
“These four things kept coming back to me: human health, climate change, natural resource, and animal welfare implications of using animals for meat. And what fascinated me is that you can simultaneously tackle all these concerns by simply changing the protein source for meat from animals to plants. If we shift our thinking to focus on the composition of meat versus its animal origin, we have a huge canvas to work from,” said Brown.
Unsustainable production
Working with top scientists, their teams strip down the core components of meat and extract them from plants instead, using ingredients like peas, beetroot, coconut oil and potato starch.
“Meat is composed of amino acids, lipids, minerals and water. Animals use their digestive and muscular systems to convert vegetation and water into meat,” said Brown. “We’re going straight to the plant, bypassing the animal and building meat directly. We get better every year and are on a relentless march toward that perfect and indistinguishable build of meat from plants.”
In 2018, Beyond Meat commissioned The Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan to conduct an environmental assessment study of its plant-based burger patty. The study revealed that a quarter-pound Beyond Burger requires 99 per cent less water, 93 per cent less land and generates 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, using 46 per cent less energy to produce in the U.S. than its beef equivalent.
“What’s clear is that the way we produce meat today is not sustainable. We are pushing limits on both natural resources and atmosphere,” said Brown. “We believe that by transitioning acreage currently dedicated to animal feed into protein crops that can be used directly for human consumption in the form of meat from plants, we can bring a step-change in efficiency, much needed innovation, and sustainable economic growth to rural economies here in the US and abroad.”
Dr. Patrick O. Brown, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Impossible Foods
A Member of the National Academy of Medicine and Professor of biochemistry at Stanford University , O. Brown took a sabbatical in 2009. He wanted to assess which global problems are the most urgent and which he could help solve.
Using animals for food makes up the vast majority of the land footprint of humanity. All the buildings, roads and paved surfaces in the world occupy less than one per cent of Earth’s land surface, while more than 45 per cent of the land surface of Earth is used as land for grazing or growing feed crops for livestock.
Unless we act quickly to reduce or eliminate the use of animals as technology in the food system, O. Brown reasoned, we are racing toward ecological disaster. Impossible Foods has an ambitious goal: to reduce humanity’s destructive impact on the global environment, replacing the use of animals as a food production technology and eliminate animals as a food-production technology by 2035.
“By far the most urgent problem to me was the use of animals as a food production technology – the most destructive technology on earth,” he said. O. Brown is no stranger to disrupting the status quo, already having transformed the scientific publishing system by founding the Public Library of Science (PLOS).
Making Meat Better
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that big global problems are not someone else’s responsibility. This problem wasn’t going to be solved by pleading with consumers to eat beans and tofu instead of meat and fish. And it wouldn’t be enough just to find a better way to make meat; to succeed we would need to make the best meat in the world.”
The team made an important discovery: the “magic ingredient” heme - an iron-containing molecule that occurs naturally in every cell of every animal and plant. It is responsible for the unique flavours and aromas of meat.
O. Brown and his team found that by adding a plant gene to yeast cells, they could produce heme in unlimited quantities, with a tiny fraction of the environmental impact. The Impossible Burger requires approximately 75 per cent less water and 95 per cent less land, generating about 87 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions than beef burgers.
“Based on all we’ve learned, there's no question that the use of animals as a food-production technology will soon be obsolete. Making meat directly from plants is not only far less destructive to the environment, but it will enable meat to be more delicious, healthy, diverse, and affordable,” said O. Brown. “Create the best meat in the world, let consumer choice drive the change and the use of animals as food technology will soon be a fading memory,” he added.
Editor’s Note:
The title of this story has been changed and some of the data has been updated.
Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are joint winners of the Champions of the Earth Award, in the Science and Innovation category.
Since prehistoric times, humans have used animals as a rudimentary technology to transform plant biomass into highly valued, nutrient-dense foods, including meat and dairy products. These foods remain an important source of nutrition and one of the greatest sources of pleasure in the daily lives of billions of people around the world.
But our use of animals as a food-production technology has brought us to the verge of catastrophe. The destructive impact of animal agriculture on our environment far exceeds that of any other technology on Earth, according to these founders.
The greenhouse gas footprint of animal agriculture rivals that that of every car, truck, bus, ship, airplane, and rocket ship combined, they said. There is no pathway to achieve the Paris climate objectives without a massive decrease in the scale of animal agriculture, they added.
The magnitude of the problem has prompted two entrepreneurs to take action. Ethan Brown founded Beyond Meat in 2009; Patrick O’Reilly Brown founded Impossible Foods in 2011. Both believe that plant-based meat is the future.
The global community can eliminate the need for animals in the food system by shifting the protein at the centre of the plate to plant-based meat, say the founders. For their pioneering work towards reducing our dependence on animal-based foods, Ethan Brown and O’Reilly Brown have been selected 2018 Champions of the Earth in the category of science and innovation.
Ethan Brown, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Beyond Meat
As a child, Ethan Brown became increasing interested in the question: what are the meaningful biological differences that justify which animals we eat, and which we don’t? The dilemma stuck.
It gnawed at him through University and into his work in the clean energy sector. By then, this dilemma had been joined by questions: what’s the most effective way to tackle greenhouse gas emissions – and aren’t livestock major contributors? Roughly 80 per cent of agricultural land is used to make livestock feed or for grazing– is there a better way to produce protein? Are certain amounts and types of animal protein harmful for our health?
“These four things kept coming back to me: human health, climate change, natural resource, and animal welfare implications of using animals for meat. And what fascinated me is that you can simultaneously tackle all these concerns by simply changing the protein source for meat from animals to plants. If we shift our thinking to focus on the composition of meat versus its animal origin, we have a huge canvas to work from,” says Brown.
Meat is just so inefficient…
Working with top scientists, their teams strip down the core components of meat and extract them from plants instead, using ingredients like peas, beetroot, coconut oil and potato starch.
“Meat is composed of amino acids, lipids, minerals and water. Animals use their digestive and muscular systems to convert vegetation and water into meat. We’re going straight to the plant, bypassing the animal, and building meat directly. We get better every year and are on a relentless march toward that perfect and indistinguishable build of meat from plants,” Brown says.
“Corn, soy and wheat dominate agriculture in America. We can replace that. Take that same piece of land to grow protein directly from plants, and we can slash natural resources needed, using land more efficiently.”
According to a research study conducted by the University of Michigan, a quarter-pound Beyond Burger requires 99 per cent less water, 93 per cent less land and generates 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, using 46 per cent less energy to produce in the U.S. than its beef equivalent.
“What’s clear is that the way we produce meat today is not sustainable. We are pushing limits on both natural resources and atmosphere,” says Brown. “We believe that by transitioning acreage currently dedicated to animal feed into protein crops that can be used directly for human consumption in the form of meat from plants, we can bring a step-change in efficiency, much needed innovation, and sustainable economic growth to rural economies here in the US and abroad.”
Dr. Patrick O. Brown, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Impossible Foods
As Member of the National Academy of Medicine and Professor of biochemistry at Stanford University in 2009, O. Brown took a sabbatical. He wanted to assess which global problems are the most urgent and which he could help to solve.
Using animals for food makes up the vast majority of the land footprint of humanity. All the buildings, roads and paved surfaces in the world occupy less than one per cent of Earth’s land surface, while more than 45 per cent of the land surface of Earth is used as land for grazing or growing feed crops for livestock.
Unless we act quickly to reduce or eliminate the use of animals as technology in the food system, O. Brown reasoned, we are racing toward ecological disaster. Impossible Foods has an ambitious goal: to reduce humanity’s destructive impact on the global environment, replacing the use of animals as a food production technology and eliminate animals as a food-production technology by 2035.
“By far the most urgent problem to me was the use of animals as a food production technology – the most destructive technology on earth,” he says. O. Brown is no stranger to disrupting the status quo, already having transformed the scientific publishing system by founding the Public Library of Science (PLOS).
Making Meat Better
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that big global problems are not someone else’s responsibility. This problem wasn’t going to be solved by pleading with consumers to eat beans and tofu instead of meat and fish. And it wouldn’t be enough just to find a better way to make meat; to succeed we would need to make the best meat in the world.”
The team made an important discovery: the “magic ingredient” heme - an iron-containing molecule that occurs naturally in every cell of every animal and plant. It is responsible for the unique flavours and aromas of meat.
O. Brown and his team found that by adding a plant gene to yeast cells, they could produce heme in unlimited quantities, with a tiny fraction of the environmental impact. The Impossible Burger requires approximately 75 per cent less water and 95 per cent less land, generating about 87 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions than beef burgers.
“Based on all we’ve learned, there's no question that the use of animals as a food-production technology will soon be obsolete. Making meat directly from plants is not only far less destructive to the environment, but it will enable meat to be more delicious, healthy, diverse, and affordable. Create the best meat in the world, let consumer choice drive the change and the use of animals as food technology will soon be a fading memory.”
Zhejiang province derives its name from the Zhe River, meaning “crooked” or “bent” river. The rivers of Zhejiang Province have long been vital for communities, flowing through ancient towns, among traditional white-walled and black-roofed houses, feeding fertile rice fields.
Yet Zhejiang is also one of the richest and most developed provinces in China. It generates around six per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and ranks fourth among provinces for economic development. This rapid industrial development came at a cost.
Ancient houses were demolished, watercourses were damaged and river banks collapsed. Domestic and industrial wastewater discharged into water canals turned the clear waters black.
Then, during a visit to Anji County, President Xi Jinping, Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party committee at the time, said: "We do not promote economic development at the expense of the environment. Clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."
River chiefs: working together to reverse environmental destruction
To bring Zhejiang Province back from the brink of destruction, he launched the Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme, with ecological development at its core. The programme aimed to incorporate water management, waste management and recycling to transform the province.
Among other reforms, 61,000 river chiefs were appointed to manage all water bodies. Their role is to protect and take full responsibility for rivers and waterways throughout the region, preventing and controlling pollution, and managing ecological restoration.
Today, 97 per cent of villages in Zhejiang have transformed their polluted waterways into clean, drinkable rivers, benefitting 30 million residents. Shen Ming Quan, River Chief and Head of Anji County in Zhejiang Province, is one of them.
His county, Anji County, is the bamboo backdrop of the martial arts battle scene of the Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In China, the county is heralded for its efforts to champion both ecological conservation and rich agricultural production.
"We are working on the frontline of environmental protection," he says. "We must make the right choice for our future. Together, we opt for environmental protection over development, to deliver higher living standards for our communities. As river chiefs, we are proud of the ecological benefits we have achieved for the entire community.”
Thriving again
Anji white tea, grown nowhere else in the country, fetches a high price and Anji’s climate is also ideal for growing alpine vegetables. As well as supporting development of agriculture and other eco-economies such as bamboo production, the county has successfully integrated responsibilities of river chiefs with progressive development.
The results of the mission to clear-up Zhejiang can be attributed to many people. Communities have come together to ensure success. In addition to the efforts of the river chiefs, multiple-channel financing, led by the municipal government, has been complemented by social funds, loans from international financial institutions and even individual donations.
New domestic waste processing systems have been installed in all villages throughout the province. Effective recycling and treating toilet sewage, kitchen sewage and washing waste water are also underway. Eighty per cent of historic buildings have been restored, with water, sanitation and electrical infrastructure overhauled to become more efficient. Waterways have been cleared, with river banks blooming into scenic spots.
"Protecting our ecology and environment is a global consensus and one of the most pressing issues of our time," says Shen. "Our communities require and demand a better life, which means combining good ecological development not at the cost of our environment, but in harmony with it."
Cochin International Airport is the world’s first solar power airport. Its entire operations are powered by solar energy. The biggest and busiest airport of Kerala state in India, and the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of international traffic, the solar project was pioneered by Managing Director Vattavayalil Joseph Kurian. Cochin International Airport has won the Champions of the Earth Award in the Entrepreneurial Vision category.
Curbing our environmental footprint
Earlier this month, Cochin International Airport was shut down. Severe flooding was just another stark reminder of the urgent need to address our global warming crisis. We believe we are already one step ahead of the curve. As one of the busiest airports in India, we are taking rapid steps to curb our carbon footprint and improve our energy efficiency.
When the price of power jumped from 6 to 10 cents per unit of electricity in 2012, we started to consider alternative powersources. At the time, solar power was becoming a more popular energy source. We wanted to explore the possibilities to harness this eco-friendly option and take advantage of our abundant sunshine as a tropical country.
From 100 kilowatts in 2012, today our capacity is 29.5 megawatts of solar energy, providing us with 120,000 units of power every day. We are 100 per cent reliant on renewable energy in all our daily operations - from powering the conveyor belts to the digital systems. We have experienced absolutely no drop in our efficiency or power supply; we also generate a surplus of energy which we can bank for cloudy days or the monsoon season, when sunshine is less frequent.
Extending our capacity
Last year, 10 million people passed through our airport. Of these, 5.5 million were international passengers. Since we became the world's first fully solar-powered airport, with the inauguration of a dedicated solar plant, we have placed solar panels on terminal roofs, hangars, over a two-kilometre long canal and car parking area. Currently, we have solar plants in eight locations including the biggest plant which is spread over an area of 45 acres.
These solar panels provide the airport with 29.5 megawatts to power its terminals and facilities. The grounds also house a solar farm, where organic vegetables are farmed, to be sold to nearby markets and airport staff.
After we became 100 per cent solar reliant, the government has taken a decision to encourage all airports to source at least two megawatts of power from solar power. There are also new targets in place to ensure that at least 100 gigawatts of power for the national grid are sourced from renewable sources by 2022.
The future is solar
We are already working with airports in other countries, for example Ghana, where we have set up an agreement to assist in installing solar-powered facilities in three airports across the country. We are entering a new era, where energy from renewable resources is the only sustainable solution towards a healthier planet. We are determined to lead the way and pioneer this development.
The Solar Impulse project became the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe in 2015. Last year, solar energy accounted for the biggest share of power generated from new sources. We believe we are paving the way for carbon-neutral air travel. We are optimistic about fully solar powered airlines in future. This is just the beginning.
BEIJING, 13 September 2018 – Propelling the recognition for the world’s most outstanding environmental achievements, UN Environment this week announced a three-year partnership with Weibo – China’s microblogging and social media giant – on the Champions of the Earth Award, the United Nations most prestigious prize for outstanding environmental achievement, upgrading the partnership to a new level.
The partnership comes as part of Weibo’s increased efforts to address environmental protection and sustainable development, having already supported several UN Environment campaigns across its networks in recent years, including World Environment Day and the #wildforlife campaign.
Weibo and UN Environment already signed a strategic partnership agreement last year at the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya which would see both parties work together to amplify UN Environment campaigns on pollution and other urgent environmental issues in the world’s most populous nation. They also joined forces on content creation, as well as analysis of how people in China relate to environmental sustainability.
Earlier this year, the two partners further worked together to roll out a Young Champions of the Earth China Chapter, a youth-focused competition setting out to celebrate, empower and support talented young innovators in China aged between 18 and 30 with promising ideas to protect or restore the environment. Building on the momentum of this China Chapter, Weibo and UN Environment are looking forward to embark on new roads in their collaboration, this time focusing on the prestigious Champions of the Earth Award.
Launched in 2005, Champions of the Earth amplifies positive and compelling environmental stories: celebrating triumphs of hope over fear, truth over ignorance and action over indifference. The award is recognizing exemplary individuals and organizations whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment.
“Environmental protection is highly valued in China. Weibo and UN Environment launched a number of activities together, providing a platform for the public to learn about and get involved in environmental protection through social media. It’s a great honor for Weibo to become a strategic partner of Champions of the Earth. Weibo will remain committed to showing China’s sustained effort on environmental protection to the world,” said Charles Chao, Chairman of Weibo.
“We have only one planet and we must all become its champions. I am delighted to welcome Weibo as a partner of UN Environment in recognizing the outstanding achievements of people for the environment. We cannot save this planet without the private sector playing a bigger role in building the kind of future we all want,” said Head of UN Environment Erik Solheim.
For two decades, the annual award has recognized dozens of environmental change-makers, drawing international attention to the issues they confront and the solutions they advance. Past laureates include Unilever CEO Paul Polman, Afroz Shah, Boyan Slat, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, ocean explorer and conservationist Sylvia Earle, Mobike, and the National Geographic Society, among many others.
This year’s Champions of the Earth Award will be held in New York on September 26, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Champions of the Earth:
The annual Champions of the Earth award is awarded to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment. Since being founded thirteen years ago, the awards have recognized 84 laureates – ranging from leaders of nations to grassroots activists – in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society.
About Weibo:
Weibo is a leading social media outlet for people to create, share and discover content online. It combines the means of public self-expression in real time with a powerful platform for social interaction, content aggregation and content distribution. Any user can create and post a feed, and attach multi-media and long-form content. User relationships on Weibo may be asymmetric; any user can follow any other user and add comments to a feed while reposting. This simple, asymmetric and distributed nature of Weibo allows an original feed to become a live viral conversation stream.
About UN Environment:
UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Keith Weller, Head of News and Media, UN Environment. keith.weller@un.org
- Champions of the Earth laureate Boyan Slat and his Ocean Cleanup team launched their revolutionary marine litter cleanup system today.
- Research shows that a scaled-up fleet of 60 systems could eventually clean up 50% of the Patch in the next 5 years.
San Francisco, 8 September 2018 – UN Environment Champion of the Earth Boyan Slat and his Ocean Cleanup team launched the long-awaited, revolutionary marine litter cleanup system – expected to tackle 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic marine debris – at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco today.
System 001, as the first deployable model of the connected floating trash receptacles is dubbed, made its way out of the San Francisco Harbor towards the Great Pacific Garbage Patch under the watchful eye of hundreds of supporters, press, scientist and policymakers, where it will start to tackle one of the largest accumulations of marine litter on earth.
After four years of research and adjustments to the groundbreaking system, the design currently entails a 600-meter-long floater that sits at the surface of the water and a tapered 3-meter-deep skirt attached below. Together, the U-shaped floater and skirt are carried by the oceans’ natural movements (currents and waves), passively catching plastic debris along the way.
The system has initially been towed 240 nautical miles into the Pacific Ocean for trials. After completion of the trails, the 600-meter long device will travel the remaining 1000 nautical miles to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. According to research done by the Ocean Cleanup, a scaled-up fleet of 60 systems could eventually clean up 50% of the Patch in the next 5 years.
The now 24-year-old Dutch inventor Boyan Slat made waves around the world 6 years ago, when he first developed his plans for a system to tackle the massive patches of plastic debris floating in our oceans. For his relentless efforts to chart new territory in the quest for a solution to the ever-growing global problem of plastic marine debris, UN Environment awarded Slat the Champions of Earth Award in 2014.
Every year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastic leaks into our oceans. Besides washing up on our beaches and shorelines, plastic marine debris accumulates in five garbage patches around the world. The largest one of these, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is located between Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About UN Environment
UN Environment is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UN Environment works with governments, the private sector, the civil society and with other UN entities and international organizations across the world.
About the Ocean Cleanup:
Founded in 2013, by then 18-year-old Boyan Slat, the Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. By utilizing the ocean wind, waves and currents, their passive drifting systems are estimated to clean up half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years’ time. https://www.theoceancleanup.com
About Champions of the Earth
The annual Champions of the Earth prize is awarded to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment. Since being founded thirteen years ago, the awards have recognized 84 laureates – ranging from leaders of nations to grassroots activists – in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society. Visit the website here: http://web.unep.org/champions.
For more information, please contact:
Keith Weller, UN Environment, Head of News and Media, keith.weller[at]un.org
The Thought For Food team likes a challenge – encouraging innovation in agriculture, and changing the way we eat. Having just closed the latest Thought For Food Summit in Rio, Brazil, we caught up with Program Director, Jared Yarnall-Schane, to ask what drives Thought For Food, and how young people can join the movement towards a more sustainable environment.
Q: What is your message to young people with an interest in agriculture?
A: Everyone must eat! We all eat food three times a day. Food is inherently impactful; we must engage with it every day, it impacts our communities and how we come together, for example to enjoy a meal. We believe that if you want to get to social impact and environmental change, food and agriculture provide a tremendous way to do that while bringing people together to tackle a common challenge.
Q: Why do we need to change the way we currently eat and make food?
A: Our population is growing, our climate is changing, and our food preferences keep evolving. To make sure there is enough safe, healthy and affordable food, we need to make significant changes to our food system. People want their food system to be transparent - from who grows it to how it arrives in the grocery store. They want food that is good for them and the planet. And perhaps most importantly people all around the world want food that tastes good.
Q: What is your vision for the future?
A: Our big goal is to help feed 9 billion people by 2050. We believe in the potential of young people: that’s why each year we put out a call for young people aged between 18 and 25 to change the status quo and the way we currently produce and manufacture food. This year we had the challenging task of selecting ten amazing finalists from 800 teams in 160 countries. This just shows the scope of the talent out there in the world. Participants came from Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Their solutions range from materials made from surplus poultry feathers to substitute polystyrene used in food packaging, to a water quality monitoring system specifically developed for refugee camps and areas with limited water access. We believe that by supporting innovations like this, we can change the future and build a better, more productive but environmentally sustainable way of living.
Q: How are you doing things differently at Thought For Food and why?
A: We think young people are naturally entrepreneurial and challenge the status quo. They possess the passion to implement the things that need to be changed. We use different and interesting approaches to engage young people: we have 200 next-generation innovators coming together to learn as part of our annual Thought For Food Summit in Rio, Brazil. We build skills such as masterclasses, where we bring in inspirational people to talk about fundraising, storytelling, and how to use data to enhance impact. We take participants through an intensive accelerator programme, where they receive mentorship and training to further develop their concepts by gathering customer feedback, building their organizational structures and sharpening their business models. We believe a mixture of these supportive techniques can inspire people towards change.
Q: What lessons did you learn from your recent Summit and what take-aways can you share?
A: Good ideas come from everywhere. This was proven to be true as we saw teams from all over the world take the stage as finalists in this year's Thought For Food Challenge. We also have continued to show that young people care more about collaboration than competition, with several of our young and growing startups opening their data and processes to other entrepreneurs. In addition, we learned that food and agriculture companies are excited to engage with the changing food ecosystem. They want to leverage their supply chain, connections, and experience for impact and to make the world a better place. We encourage readers to join us!
This is part of a Young Champions of the Earth series highlighting inspirational work of young people around the world. Find out more about the Young Champions of the Earth, powered by Covestro.
