NEW DELHI:
Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Kochi International Airport were on Wednesday awarded UN’s highest environmental honour, the ‘Champions of the Earth’ award, along with four other environmental changemakers.
PM Modi and French president
Emmanuel Macronwere recognised 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”, according to the UN.
Prime Minister’s pledge to eliminate the single-use plastic in India by 2022 and Macron’s work on the Global Pact for the Environment found a special mention.
Among the other recipient of the awards was the Cochin International Airport, which received the award in the Entrepreneurial Vision category.
The airport was hailed 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,” the United Nations said in a statement.
The other recipients of the award include indigenous activist Joan Carling, Food company Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which develops plant-based substitutes for meat and dairy products, and China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme.
Carling, who is the secretary general of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact was recognised with the lifetime achievement award for her work “as one of the world’s most prominent defenders of environmental and indigenous rights”.
‘Beyond Meat’ and ‘Impossible Foods’ were jointly recognised 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”.
In the Inspiration and Action category, China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme was selected. The programme is credited with transforming the once heavily polluted area of rivers and streams in East China’s Zhejiang province.
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 the defence of our one planet, said a report by the UN.
About Champions of the Earth
The 13-year-old award recognises outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector who have had a positive impact on the environment. So far the award had felicitated 84 laureates – ranging from leaders of nations to grassroots activists – in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society.
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