Winning big for Planet Earth
Straits Times 19 Apr 08;
For their efforts to save the planet, seven men and women have been named the 2008 Champions of the Earth. Bestowed by the United Nations, the honours will be given out in Singapore on Tuesday to mark Earth Day.
Past winners include Singapore's Professor Tommy Koh, former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev and former vice-president of the United States Al Gore. SHOBANA KESAVA finds out which environmental heroes and heroines will pick up the trophy - appropriately a sculpture made of recycled metal - and why they were the chosen ones.
UNEP SPECIAL PRIZE
# Prime Minister Helen Clark, New Zealand
She pushed her country to cut its output of greenhouse gases and launched three major policy initiatives to fight climate change.
With them, she intends to have all newly generated electricity come from renewable sources wherever possible.
Her government has also worked hard on environmental protection, from boosting private sector involvement in sustainable projects, to improving public awareness, to refining government policies on forestry and agriculture. The country hosts World Environment Day on June 5.
Her stand: 'Our reputation as a country with a clean and green environment is priceless. Failure to protect it by inaction on sustainability would pose a considerable economic risk to New Zealand.'
AFRICA
# Senior scientist Balgis Osman-Elasha, Sudan
She is at the forefront of global research into climate change and a leading author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which is considered the definitive study on global warming.
The IPCC won a Nobel Prize last year.
Considered a role model for women in her country, her work has found links between climate change and Sudan's history of brutal civil wars.
Sudan's rainfall is estimated to have halved since 1917, affecting land, livestock and water, and sparking conflicts for the precious resource.
Her stand: 'I take a thermos flask full of coffee to the office, saving on the need to heat water every time I want a cup. I don't drink soda and beverages packed in plastic bottles as they stay in the soil for thousands of years.'
WEST ASIA
# Former prime minister Abdul-Qader Ba-Jammal, Yemen
Mr Ba-Jammal is considered a pioneering influence on environmental protection in Yemen, which faces problems such as water scarcity and desertification.
He secured national and international funding for environmental conservation and water management programmes.
Mr Ba-Jammal also orchestrated conservation efforts for the Socotra archipelago, a set of isles in the Arabian Sea rich in rare wildlife, which has been compared to the famed Galapagos Islands off Ecuador.
Among other achievements, he also supported the declaration of several marine and land protected areas in the country.
EUROPE
# Prince Albert II, Monaco
One of his first acts as sovereign of Monaco was to sign the Kyoto Protocol. The country's policies towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions are considered exemplary.
The prince's public awareness efforts began in the 1990s and included leading an expedition to the North Pole in 2006 to draw attention to the consequences of global warming.
A foundation he created supports research into biofuel projects in Kenya, protects marine species in Europe and safeguards the forests of Indonesia, among other things.
His stand: 'The challenge of protecting our environment and implementing measures to enable natural resources to be protected extends far beyond the borders of each country. This situation compels each one of us to take action if we want to protect the planet for future generations.'
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
# Executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies Atiq Rahman, Bangladesh
He transformed the centre into a leading think-tank in South Asia with a focus on sustainable development.
He writes extensively on the environment and development in Bangladesh, a country highly vulnerable to climate change and flooding.
His work allows others to tap his national and international experience in environment and resource management.
It also helps to raise awareness of the hazards of global warming.
Hiscommitment: 'I contact directly every day at least 10 policymakers, 10 activists and 10 community change agents for actions or discussions on substantive issues related to sustainable development.'
NORTH AMERICA
# Former senator Timothy E. Wirth, the United States
He has been an environmental advocate for the last 30 years. As president of the United Nations Foundation and the Better World Fund, he mobilises resources to address crucial issues from biodiversity to climate change to renewable energy.
A strong supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, he was instrumental in raising awareness and calling for concrete action on global warming during his time as US Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs.
He also authored the Colorado Wilderness Bill and other legislation dealing with energy, conservation and environmental protection.
His commitment: 'I drive a hybrid car. My house has energy-efficient appliances, a programmed thermostat and solar panels on the roof.
I purchase locally produced food and religiously recycle. Individual acts can seem minute, but collectively they are a giant step in the right direction towards responsibly confronting the climate crisis.'
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
# Former minister of energy and the environment Liz Thompson, Barbados
She is a recognised leader on environmental issues in the roughly 50-member union of Small Island Developing States.
She has encouraged those in the Caribbean to diversify their economies, undertake sustainability assessments and promote community-based programmes that help the environment. As minister for 11 years, she enacted a range of progressive policies for environmental protection and became a key voice in raising awareness of global warming in Barbados, a country which is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Her commitment: 'Whatever initiatives are put in place by policymakers or multilateral agreements, the battle for the environment and for sustainable development cannot be won unless we get individuals to accept that they can make a difference and that they have a role to play.'
