Julia Carabias Lillo coordinated a research and rural development programme in extremely impoverished peasant communities in the four regions of Mexico called the 'Integrated Use of Natural Resources' (PAIR the acronym in Spanish).

She was a member of the Commission for Developing Countries and Global Change, which published the report For Earth's Sake during the 1992 Conference on the Environment and Development in Brazil sponsored by the UN. Carabias is currently a member of several consultative councils and forms part of the academic councils of various national and international organizations, such as member of the Board of Directors of Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD International) until 2001, the Scientific Committee of SCOPE from1994 to 2000, and at present she is a member of the National Steering Committee of LEAD Mexico, member of the Board of Directors of the World Wildlife Fund, and of the Resources for the future.

In February 1994, Carabias was named President of the National Ecology Institute, then a decentralized agency of the Social Development Ministry. In December 1994, she was asked by the then President of Mexico to form part of his Cabinet as the Minister of Fisheries. That same month, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries was created with Carabias as Minister. She served in that position for six years until the end of the administration in November 2000.

In 2002, she was named Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and is serving a term of four years. She continues to be a member of the Faculty of Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) coordinating a new Masters Degree programme in Restoration Ecology, and she is President of the NGO Centro Interdisciplinario de Biodiversidad y Ambiente (CEIBA).

Carabias is the author of numerous scientific articles on botany, ecology, natural resource management, ecological restoration and conservation. She is also the co-author of Ecology and Alimentary Self-sufficiency, Rural Production in Mexico, Ecological Alternatives, and Natural Resource Management and Rural Poverty.

Mr. Zhou Qiang currently occupies the most senior position in southern China’s Hunan Province as Party Secretary. From 2006 to 2010, Mr. Zhou was the governor of Hunan and during his tenure he dedicated himself to transforming the province into a model of environmental sustainability, calling on the protection of the Dongting Lake, China’s second largest fresh water lake, and the Xiangjiang River as well as promoting wastewater treatment and reforestation.

“A Green Hunan icon not only boasts of the beautiful scenery and sound ecosystems in the province but also represents the province’s initiative in promoting green development and a Green Economy. I hope I can keep working on the green development, not only for Hunan province but also for my country and our homeland Earth. I also hope that the resources of Nature that we have now can continue to benefit future generations,” he said.

Born in 1960 in central Hubei province, Mr. Zhou early on indicated an interest in protecting the environment. While serving as Chairman of the All-China Youth Federation (ACYF), he also launched in 1999 the China Mother River Protection Operation for the Xiangjiang River which runs through the province. As head of the ACYF, he has mobilized youth and social communities to work on protecting the environment and join in the Mother River Protection Operation which aims to reduce the discharge of major pollutants, improving the water supply and protecting the wetland areas.

As the only national youth association in China, the ACYF is a very important force for protecting the environment in China and the global environment. To date, the youth organization has undertaken 882 afforestation projects and 191,000 hectares have been reforested. In addition 300 million youth have been mobilized to participate in the Mother River Protection Operation, and exchanges and cooperation in the field of environmental protection have grown among young people in more than 50 countries and regions. On 4 May 2002, the President of China inscribed the message of "Protecting the Mother River" to express his full support. The Operation, initially advocated by Zhou Qiang, has now become one of the most well known environmental protection initiatives in China.

Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile, was recognized in the Policy Leadership category for her outstanding leadership in creating marine protected areas and boosting renewable energy.

“Chile has shown the world that you don’t need to be a rich country to preserve the environment.,” said President Bachelet. “I feel honored to be included in this outstanding group of people and grateful for being acknowledged as one of this year’s Champions of the Earth, the UN’s highest environmental recognition.”

In October 2015, President Bachelet established 3 marine protected areas in Chile to conserve biodiversity. These include the marine park Nazca-Desventuradas in San Ambrosio and San Felix Islands, a range of protected areas and marine parks in the Juan Fernandez Islands and an extension of the protected areas in the Easter Island.

The total coverage is now over 1 million km2, making it the largest in the world. This initiative is aligned with the UN mission of protecting at least 10 per cent of the oceans by 2020.

Aside from marine environmental protection, her policies have helped to facilitate a nationwide transition to clean energy. In the four years leading up to 2017, renewable energy production surged from 6 to 17 per cent of Chile’s energy mix.

In June 2017, two new marine parks and a permanent assessment group on climate change were planned.

Dr Paul A. Newman & NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center won in the Science and Innovation category, for outstanding contributions to the Montreal Protocol – which has phased out 99 per cent of ozone-depleting substances and led to the healing of the ozone layer.

“Ozone is our unseen natural sunscreen,” said Dr. Newman, Chief Scientist of Atmospheric Sciences. “It’s crucial to understand and carefully watch this vital Earth resource."

The first satellite instrument to measure ozone was put into space by the Goddard center in 1970, and the first Antarctic ozone hole pictures were made using Goddard satellite data in 1985. Since the early 90s, the center has been instrumental in leading updates to the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion, looking at how policies impact the atmosphere and setting a new high-water mark for international scientific cooperation.

The ozone layer is now healing and will return to 1980 levels by mid-century. As a result, up to 2 million cases of skin cancer may be prevented each year by 2030. The Kigali Amendment to the protocol, signed in 2016, is now targeting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are climate-warming gases with significant global-warming potential. Action in this area can help avoid up to 0.5° Celsius in global warming by the end of the century.

Jeff Orlowski won in the Inspiration and Action Category for his work on spreading powerful environmental messages to a global audience. Orlowski is the founder of Exposure Labs, which uses the power of storytelling to create impact. In 2012, he directed the climate-focused documentary, Chasing Ice, which has been screened in over 172 countries, 70 universities, over 75 film festivals, the White House and the UN.

His film, Chasing Coral, looks at the effects of ocean warming and coral bleaching on these vulnerable ecosystems. The award-winning documentary is the result of 500+ hours underwater, the creative application of cutting-edge technology, submissions of footage from volunteers from 30 countries, and support from more than 500 people around the world. It won the Sundance US Documentary Audience Award.

Chasing Coral’s impact campaign is driven by a central mission to inspire a new wave of climate champions in unexpected places, calling on people to arrange screenings of the film and take action to protect coral reefs that are dying across the world.

“The collapse of our reefs is an early, yet urgent warning of the threat posed to all ecosystems,” said Orlowski. “I hope this award can help reveal this elusive story hidden in our ocean to the world.”

Visit www.ChasingCoral.com to learn more. Both films can be streamed on Netflix.

Saihanba Afforestation Community won in the Inspiration and Action category for transforming degraded land into a lush paradise.

Saihanba, which covers 92,000 hectares and borders the southern edge of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, had by the 1950s become barren due to excessive logging, allowing sand to blow into Beijing from the northern deserts. In 1962, hundreds of foresters began planting trees in the area.

Three generations of these foresters have increased forest cover from 11.4 to 80 per cent. The forest now supplies 137 million cubic meters of clean water to the Beijing and Tianjin areas each year, while discharging c. 550,000 metric tons of oxygen. It has spurred economic growth with green sectors, generating USD15.1 million in 2016 alone.

“In the 55 years the farm has existed, people have been growing trees and protecting the forest like their own children,” said Liu Haiying, director of Saihanba Afforestation Community. “I believe that, as long as we continue to promote ecological civilization, generation after generation, China can create more green miracles like Saihanba and achieve harmony between humans and nature.”

Wang Wenbiao, Chairman of Elion Resources Group, won a Lifetime Achievement award for a lifetime of leadership in green industry.

Better known in China as the “Son of the Desert”, Wang, 61, is the chairman of China’s largest private green industries enterprise, Elion Resources Group, with total assets of over USD 1.6 billion.

Wang bought the Hangjinqi Saltworks in the middle of the Kubuqi desert in 1988. He quickly realized that the saltworks’ financial woes, and the problems with livelihoods in the region, were down to the desert: sand interfering with production and making it difficult to transport products out.

He partnered with local communities and the Beijing government to combat desertification in the desert, which covers around 18,600 sq km in Inner Mongolia. Centuries of grazing had stripped the land, leaving around 70,000 people struggling to survive. Now around two-thirds of the desert has been greened and local communities have jobs and a more pleasant environment. UN Environment Programme research estimated the project has a net value of $1.8 billion dollars over 50 years.

The project shows how private industry can both turn a healthy profit and make a massive positive contribution to climate change, sustainable development and many other environmental issues.

“My only life goal is to combat desertification for a greener world, with more lush mountains with clear water, which I always value as silver and gold mountains,” Wang said.

In November 2007, Wang was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and in 2008 won the China Charity Award. In January 2012, he won the title of ‘Chinese Model Worker in Green Work’ for the second time.

Mobike won in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for exploring market-driven solutions to air pollution and climate change.

Mobike is the world’s largest smart bike-sharing company. After two years of operation, the platform claims over 100 million registered users across more than 100 cities globally, servicing over 20 million rides a day.

Air pollution is a massive problem, particularly in countries like China and India, claiming an estimated 6.5 million lives each year. Bike sharing is a crucial alternative to motorized transport, and companies like Mobike are leading the way in cutting out journeys that contribute to air pollution and climate change.

According to figures collated by the company, Mobike users have cycled more than 18.2 billion kilometres, avoiding 4.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to taking 1.24 million cars off the road for a year.

Every Mobike bike has a GPS tracker, and the company collects bikes that don’t move or are unused – although they are designed to be maintenance-free for four years. The company also has an incentive/disincentive scheme, giving bonus points for proper parking to encourage users to leave their bikes in designated areas.

Mobike has also teamed up with US chemical firm, Dow, to conduct research on creating more eco-friendly bikes after reports of unsustainable manufacturing practices.

 “It is a tremendous honour to receive this award,” said Mobike’s Founder and President, Hu Weiwei. “Combating climate change, through [pursuing] the United Nations sustainable development goals, is one of the world’s most important priorities, and we commit to using our technology and innovation to help governments and businesses join us in creating a pedal-powered green economy.”

For her stalwart commitment to quantifying the effects of climate change and her tireless efforts to transform attitudes, Canadian climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe was chosen as the Champion of the Earth for science and innovation.

One of the world’s most influential communicators on climate change, Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist who studies what climate change means to people and the places where we live. She evaluates long-term observations, future scenarios and global models and develops innovative strategies that translate future projections into relevant, actionable information that stakeholders can use to inform future planning for food, water, infrastructure and more in a changing climate.

Hayhoe has served as a lead author for a number of key reports, including the US Global Change Research Program’s Second, Third and Fourth National Climate Assessments and the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s What We Know and How We Respond reports. She also serves on advisory committees for a broad range of organizations from the Smithsonian Natural History Museum to the Earth Science Women’s Network to the Young Evangelicals for Climate Action. She has received honorary doctorates from Colgate University and Victoria College at the University of Toronto.

However, Hayhoe may be best-known for bridging the broad, deep gap between scientists and Christians -- work she does because she is a Christian herself. While completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, she took a class in climate science that altered the trajectory of her life forever. Learning that climate change is a threat multiplier that affects nearly every aspect of life on this planet -- most critically poverty, hunger, injustice and humanitarian crises -- she abandoned her plans to become an astrophysicist and instead pursued a Masters and Ph.D. in atmospheric science at the University of Illinois in order to, as she says, give voice to the experiences of those suffering the impacts of a changing climate.

Her work in public engagement centers around what she sees as the single most important thing that everyone can do to fight climate change -- talk about it. She does so through many avenues, including hosting the PBS digital YouTube series, Global Weirding: Climate, Politics and Religion; co-authoring a book on climate and Christian values with her husband Andrew Farley, a pastor, author and radio host; participating in hundreds of interviews, talks, podcasts, documentaries, classes and more across the US and beyond each year; actively engaging with the public via social media and online forums; and, most recently, authoring an upcoming book on how to talk about climate change.

As a result, she has been named by Christianity Today as one of their 50 Women to Watch, one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in 2014, FORTUNE’s 50 greatest world leaders and listed among Foreign Policy’s 100 Global Thinkers, twice, in 2014 and again in 2019. She has also received a host of awards including the American Geophysical Union’s Climate Communication Award, the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Service Award and the Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication.

While grateful for the public recognition that awards convey, Hayhoe says the most important element of her work is changing minds.

“What means the most to me personally is when just one person tells me sincerely that they had never cared about climate change before, or even thought that it was real: but now, because of something they heard me say, they’ve changed their mind. That’s what makes it all worthwhile,” she wrote on her website.

Champions of the Earth is the United Nations’ flagship global environmental award. It was established by the UN Environment Programme in 2005 to celebrate outstanding figures whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment. From world leaders to environmental defenders and technology inventors, the awards recognize trailblazers who are working to protect our planet for the next generation.

Previous winners of the Champions of the Earth award in the science and innovation category include Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat in 2018 for producing a sustainable alternative to beef burgers, Australian designer Leyla Acaroglu in 2016 for her work on sustainability and leading atmospheric chemist Sir Robert Watson in 2014.