United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has unveiled the recipients of the 2024 Champions of the Earth award, recognizing exceptional leaders and innovators for their efforts in tackling land degradation, drought, and desertification.
The honorees include a diverse group of individuals and organizations that have shown outstanding leadership and courage in their environmental work. These include a Brazilian Indigenous Peoples minister, an environmental defender from Romania, a sustainable agriculture initiative in Egypt, and a scientist focused on large-scale afforestation projects.
The Champions of the Earth award, established in 2005, is the highest environmental recognition given by the UN, celebrating trailblazers who are shaping the future of environmental protection and sustainable development. With nearly 40 percent of the world’s land already degraded and desertification and drought becoming more prevalent, the 2024 laureates demonstrate that viable solutions to these global challenges are within reach.
“Almost 40 per cent of the world’s land is already degraded, desertification is on the rise, and devastating droughts are becoming more regular,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “The good news is that solutions already exist today, and around the world, extraordinary individuals and organizations are demonstrating that it is possible to defend and heal our planet.”
The 2024 Champions of the Earth include:
Sonia Guajajara (Brazil) – Honored in the Policy Leadership category, Guajajara is the first Minister of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil and has been a tireless advocate for Indigenous rights. Under her leadership, 10 territories have been recognized as Indigenous lands to fight deforestation and illegal activities.
Amy Bowers Cordalis (USA) – Recognized in the Inspiration and Action category, Cordalis has worked to restore the Klamath River and promote sustainable fishing practices while advancing Indigenous rights and environmental justice.
Gabriel Paun (Romania) – Awarded in the Inspiration and Action category, Paun founded Agent Green, an NGO that fights illegal logging and deforestation in Europe’s last old-growth forests. Despite facing personal threats, Paun continues to protect vital ecosystems in the Carpathians.
Lu Qi (China) – Honored in the Science and Innovation category, Lu Qi has been instrumental in reversing desertification and land degradation in China through his leadership in the Great Green Wall project, the world’s largest afforestation initiative.
Madhav Gadgil (India) – Recognized in the Lifetime Achievement category, Gadgil is a renowned ecologist whose work has shaped environmental policy in India, particularly in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot.
SEKEM (Egypt) – Awarded in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, SEKEM has transformed Egypt’s deserts into fertile land through biodynamic agriculture and sustainable practices, boosting local economies and advancing environmental goals.
The Champions of the Earth awards highlight the urgent need for ecosystem restoration, as 3.2 billion people worldwide are impacted by desertification. By 2050, the majority of the global population is expected to face the consequences of drought. UNEP’s #GenerationRestoration campaign calls for an accelerated effort to restore 1 billion hectares of land by 2030, aiming to protect nature on land and sea while tackling planetary degradation.