Young Champions of the Earth

21 December, 2020 | GS-III | Biodiversity & Environment | Awards | Biodiversity & Environment Young Champions of the Earth

An Indian entrepreneur is among the seven winners of UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) “Young Champions of the Earth” 2020 prize. This award is given to spot global change-makers between the ages of 18 and 30 and support their ideas to save the environment.

Seven champions are selected from each global region: Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, West Asia and two from Asia and the Pacific. This prize, launched by the UNEP in 2017, is in similar lines to UNEP’s Champions of the Earth prize.

Past News:2018 for UPSC

The annual Champions of the Earth prize is the UN’s highest environmental honour. It recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations from the public and private sectors and from civil society whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment. It was launched in 2005 by United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment).

Champions of the Earth recognizes laureates in the following 5 categories: (1) Lifetime Achievement, (2) Policy Leadership, (3) Action and Inspiration, (4) Entrepreneurial Vision and (5) Science and Innovation.

Winners of the 2018 Champions of the Earth Awards:

Category Laureate(s) 1 Entrepreneurial Vision Cochin International Airport

(awarded for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy) 2 Policy Leadership Emmanuel Macron, President of France and

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

(awarded for their efforts regarding the International Solar Alliance) 3 Lifetime achievement Joan Carling award 4 Science and Innovation Beyond Meat and

Impossible Foods 5 Inspiration and Action China’s Zhejiang’s Green Rural Revival Programme

Young Champions of the Earth:

In 2017, on similar lines, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched Young Champions of the Earth, a new initiative to spot young, talented people between the ages of 18 and 30 and support their inspiring ideas to save the environment. Under it, Seven Young Champions – selected from every global region – will receive $15,000 each in seed funding and intensive mentoring to help them implement their ideas.