Despite repeated warnings and unassailable scientific evidence on the climate consequences of the brown economy, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Some prefer to assign blame to the failure of international treaties to curb emissions, yet there is so much that can be done by simple changes to the way we design and run our homes and places of work and leisure. This is why the work of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), a private not-for-profit organization that is transforming buildings across the globe, is so crucial.
The USGBC has produced outstanding results in sustainable building through its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is currently the most widely used green building program worldwide. In the United States alone, buildings account for 40 per cent of energy use and incur losses of S$130 billion annually from inefficient design. Worldwide, one third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings; LEED is zeroing in on reducing this astonishing figure.
In little over two decades, the USGBC has gone from its first meeting in the boardroom of the American Institute of Architects, with 60 firms and a few not-for-profit organizations, to 76 chapters, nearly 13,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 198,000 LEED certified professionals. LEED is certifying 1.7 million square feet of building space daily in 150 countries and territories – the equivalent of about 45 football fields.
The USBGC also lobbies policymakers to implement greener building design, and is convinced that greater building efficiency can meet 85 per cent of future demand for energy in the United States alone. It supported the introduction of the Better Buildings Act of 2014 into the United States House of Representatives—a bill that would amend federal law aimed at improving the energy efficiency of commercial office buildings. It was one of eight national councils that helped found the World Green Building Council.
For climate change to one day be consigned to the dustbin of history as a challenge humanity faced and overcame, organizations and individuals need to play their part to change how we live our lives in support of top-down change. The USBGC demonstrates clearly that such change is eminently possible.
His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed has been the President of the Maldives since 2008. He has received global recognition for his efforts to curb climate change and raise awareness of environmental issues, particularly as it related to island-nations.
He featured prominently in the international media in the run-up to, and during, the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen in December. During that time, he even convened an underwater cabinet meeting on the ocean floor to highlight the grave climate change-related threats to the Maldives.
President Nasheed has pledged to make the Maldives the world’s first carbon-neutral country by 2020. He has warned that Maldivians may be forced to seek a new homeland should rising sea levels make the Maldivians’ archipelago uninhabitable.
Moreover, he is campaigning for the protection of coral reefs that helped save his country from the devastating 2005 tsunami by absorbing the brunt of the powerful earthquake-triggered wave.
President Nasheed, a former journalist who was jailed several times for his articles, formed the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) while in self-proclaimed exile. He returned to the Maldives in 2005 to begin promoting the MDP. In 2008, President Nasheed won the country’s first ever multiparty presidential election by popular vote.
He has received several awards in recognition of his pioneering environmental work: Time Magazine named him a 2009 Hero of the Environment, and ‘The Age of Stupid’, the film on the devastating effects of climate change, presented him with an award at the film’s global premiere in New York City during Global Climate Week in September 2009.
President Nasheed continues to urge various leaders from developing or vulnerable countries like the Maldives to break away from carbon-based growth and to embrace green technologies for a carbon neutral future.
Afghanistan’s 46-year-old Director General of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), Prince Mostapha Zaher has laid the foundation for a sustainable and peaceful future in Afghanistan. For the past five years, he has worked tirelessly for the environment in a country ravaged by 25 years of war and continues to find ways to bring clean, efficient and cost-effective solutions to the citizens of one of the world’s poorest nations.
In 2004, after the fall of the Taliban, Zaher and his family returned to his homeland where he gave up his post as Ambassador to Italy to take up the job as Director General of the newly formed NEPA. The opportunity revived Zaher’s lifelong dream of turning the royal hunting grounds into a nature reserve open to all Afghans.
Since taking the post, he has rewritten the nation’s environmental laws, including an act in the Constitution declaring it the responsibility of every Afghan citizen to “protect the environment, conserve the environment, and to hand it over to the next generation in the most pristine condition possible”.
In 2008, he attended the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC), where he pledged to improve air quality in Kabul between 10-12 per cent by the year 2012. His commitments work in tandem with Afghanistan’s Environment Act of 2006. At the same time, NEPA announced it would allocate at least 3 per cent of its core budget to environmental research and development.
In partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Water and the international community, NEPA hopes to apply cutting edge solar and wind technology to address environmental concerns in Afghanistan.
Dr. Balgis Osman-Elasha, a senior scientist from Sudan, is at the forefront of global research on climate change. A leading author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, she has produced groundbreaking work on global warming - the defining challenge of our era - in Africa, with an emphasis on northern and eastern Africa.
Dr. Osman-Elasha's emphasis on global warming and adaptation in Sudan is vital given the strong interlinkages between climate change and conflict in the country. Her work as a prominent researcher on climate change makes her a true role model for women in Africa.
The award also recognizes Dr. Osman-Elasha's efforts to educate Sudanese university students about the issue of climate change, thus raising awareness among the country's new generation.
There are some individuals so accomplished, so on the nail with their science and insight, and so omnipresent at award ceremonies that one could be forgiven for suspecting they have secretly been busy cloning themselves to carry out so much ground-breaking work. Sir Robert Watson, an eminent scientist who is highly regarded as one of the world’s leading atmospheric chemists, fits so snugly into this category that his creaking trophy cabinet is in need of reinforcement.
Sir Watson’s plaudits include the Award for Scientific Reviewing from the National Academy of Sciences in 1992; the American Association for the Advancement of Science Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility in 1993; the insignia of Honorary Companion of St Michael and St George from the British Government in 2003; and in 2012, a knighthood for his service to the government of the United Kingdom.
Now he adds the UNEP Champion of the Earth award to his haul, and justifiably so. Sir Watson has devoted his career to promoting the science behind ozone depletion, global warming and paleoclimatology. He played an important role in the regulation efforts of ozone depletion and global warming by aiding in the process of developing unified assessments for conventions and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as well as the International Scientific Assessment of Stratospheric Ozone, and has testified to the U.S. Congress on numerous occasions regarding global environmental issues. He was the Chief Scientific Officer for the U.K.’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from 2007. Prior to taking up his post at Defra, Bob Watson was the Chief Scientist and Senior Advisor for Sustainable Development for the World Bank. He has also held senior positions at NASA and the White House, and was a chair of the IPCC from 1997 to 2002. He is now a professor at the University of East Anglia in the UK and Monash University in Australia
As his award and career history show, Sir Watson is yet another example of a committed environmentalist who will not bend, no matter how great the storm. He faced strong criticism from the energy industry and its supporters for his scientific arguments on the need for a reduced dependence on coal and oil, but his position has not wavered. His clarity of vision and sense of purpose has helped build belief in and support for climate science to the unprecedented high levels we see today.
Ms. Thompson has become one of the recognized leaders on environmental issues of the Small Island Developing States.
During her time as Minister of Energy and the Environment of Barbados, she enacted a range of progressive policies for sustainable development and environmental protection. She also became a key voice to raise awareness of global warming in Barbados - a country where the challenges of climate change and conservation are of particular relevance.
Ms. Thompson has also played a role in environmental awareness and protection across the Caribbean region. She has encouraged small island states to diversify their economies, undertake sustainability assessments, and promote community-based programmes that have positive environmental impacts.
For unparalleled commitment to trailblazing sustainable business models
Founded in 1969, Natura is a Brazilian brand leader in cosmetics, fragrances and personal care in the direct selling model in Brazil. Created from a passion for cosmetics and relationships, Natura is present in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, France, Mexico and Peru through over 1.7 million consultants. With around 6,600 employees in Brazil and overseas, Natura focuses on developing competencies that will enhance the business in an entrepreneurial and socially responsible manner.
Furthermore, Natura dedicates special attention to its suppliers and the 33 local communities it works with in order to ensure the sustainable supply chain of ingredients. Natura prioritizes recycled and recyclable materials in its packaging, analyzing their environmental impact throughout the product's lifecycle. Through the Amazon Program, launched in 2011, Natura seeks to curb deforestation by fostering sustainable standing forest economy in the Amazon region.
By taking an eco-innovation life-cycle approach, the company experienced average annual growth of 26 per cent from 2005-2010, and doubled in size from 2007-2011. The socio-environmental benefits of selecting suppliers based on high sustainability performance were worth over $750,000 in 2012 alone. This laudable business model was recognized when Natura received Benefit Corporation sustainability certification, which highlights high standards of environmental and social stewardship.
The company has also promised to adopt new sustainability guidelines by 2020, and clearly stated its goal to promote a fairer future from the economic, social and environmental standpoints—once again leading the way and showing other businesses that integration into the new future the international community is building this year, through the finalization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is the only way to guarantee continued success.
President of France, Emmanuel Macron has put climate action at the top of his foreign agenda. He is recognized for championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting international cooperation on environmental action, and for his leadership on the Global Pact for the Environment.
Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are joint winners of the Champions of the Earth Award, in the Science and Innovation category. They produce a sustainable alternative to beef burgers that are more environmentally friendly and rival the taste of meat. These winners believe that there is no pathway to achieve the Paris climate objectives without a massive decrease in the scale of animal agriculture. They are taking steps for the global community to eliminate the need for animals in the food system by shifting to plant-based meat.
Joan Carling has been defending land and environmental rights of indigenous peoples for more than 20 years. She actively participated in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and REDD+, twice served as Secretary-General of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact and was Chairperson of the Cordillera People’s Alliance. She was appointed by the UN Economic and Social Council as an indigenous expert and has been a member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, among other responsibilities.
