Preparations are underway in UN Environment Programme (UNEP) for the 2020 Champions of the Earth and Young Champions of the Earth awards. The laureates of the UN’s highest environmental honours will be announced this December 2020, following a record number of nominations received earlier this year.
“Through the Champions of the Earth award, the UN Environment Programme seeks to recognize the immense contributions of people from all walks of life to supporting a healthy planet,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “We celebrate those individuals, communities, businesses and governments who go the extra mile to protect the earth.”
Established in 2005, the Champions of the Earth award recognises the contribution of outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions and initiatives have a positive, lasting impact on the environment. The Young Champions of the Earth prize launched in 2017. It is a forward-looking prize designed to breathe life into the ambitions of brilliant young environmentalists age 18-30.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s award announcements will be fully digital. A change from last year, where the winners were announced at a star-studded gala event in New York.
The announcement of the 2020 laureates falls during a key time for environmental action. A triple planetary crisis – climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – puts us at risk of irreversibly changing our relationship with the natural world and how we benefit from it. December 2020 marks five years since the Paris Agreement was adopted. It is also the eve of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration starting in 2021. During the next 10 years, the decade aims to halt and reverse degradation and raise awareness about the need for restoring the natural world and the many benefits it brings to humankind.
“Act for Nature”, the slogan for this year’s award, reflects the commitment and determination of the laureates. Over the years these Champions have consistently presented affordable, achievable and scalable environmental solutions to the world.
