Champions of the Earth, 2022

“People ‘over-produce’ pollution because they are not paying for the costs of dealing with it.”

– Ha-Joon Chang, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism

We all aim to raise the standard of our living. With the advancement of technology, we have managed to create a society where almost everything is at our fingertips. Still, as it is with human nature, we are not satisfied. We keep on striving to find new ways to utilize the resources around us in our quest to better our circumstances. In the process, we forget that most of our resources are non-renewable. There will come a time when we will be left with nothing to lose. However, most of us do not care about this as we all tend to live in the present. We forget that we have a responsibility to leave a decent legacy to our descendants.

In the 21^st century, many of us are now becoming aware of our dire environmental circumstances. Global warming and the changing climatic conditions have made it impossible to ignore our harsh treatment of the environment. We now know that sustainability is the way forward if we wish to preserve our Earth for future generations. Governments, companies, and individuals are continuously striving to protect our environment.

In 2005, the United Nations Environment Programme came up with the Champions of the Earth Awards to honor environmental leaders around the world. To commemorate the contributions of individuals, groups, and individuals in four categories, namely, Policy Leadership, Inspiration and Action, Entrepreneurial Vision, and Science and Innovation.

As we approach the time when the 2023 Champions of the Earth Awardees are declared, let us take the time to remember the winners of 2022.

Dr. Purnima Devi Barman

Category: Entrepreneurial Vision  

Dr. Purnima Devi Barman is the founder of the Hargila Army and the senior project manager of the Avifauna Research and Conservation Division, Aaranyak. Ever since childhood, Barman was fascinated by storks. After growing up, she dedicated her life to the protection of the greater adjutant stork. She enlisted the help of a group of local Assamese village women and formed the Hargila Army, hargila is the Assamese term for storks. Consisting of over 10,000 women, the Hargila Army protects storks and their habitats. They also create and sell textiles with beautiful stork motifs. Barman’s efforts have shown spectacular results as her conservation programme in the villages of Dadara, Pachariya, and Singimari in the Kamrup District of Assam has become the largest breeding colony of adjutant storks in the world. Dr. Purnima Barman rightfully received the Champion of the Earth Award for Entrepreneurial Vision in 2022.

Cecile Bibiane Ndjebet

Category: Inspiration and Action

Cecile Bibiane Ndjebet is the co-founder of Cameron Ecology and the president of the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests. Ndjebet grew up witnessing her mother, along with other rural women, working tirelessly on their lands. Yet, they could never own the land they dedicated their lives to due to outdated traditions. Ndjebet spent more than thirty years of her life fighting for the land rights of women in Africa. Simultaneously, she relentlessly worked to repair hectares of nature that had been affected by development. Through Cameron Ecology, she restored 600 hectares of degraded land and mangrove forests. Cecile Bibiane Ndjebet deservedly became a Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action in 2022.

Sir Partha Dasgupta 

Category: Science and Innovation

Sir Partha Dasgupta is a renowned economist based at Cambridge University. At the behest of the United Kingdom Treasury, he and his team produced the well-researched The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review in 2021. The report makes it clear that humans are destroying nature by living beyond the planet’s needs. Even before coming out with this review, Dasgupta had been working tirelessly for over forty years to show the link between the stability of economics and the planet’s health. Through his work, Partha Dasgupta has made the world aware that it is important to live sustainably and protect nature. We can enrich ourselves only by conserving our ecosystem. Sir Partha Dasgupta has rightfully become a Champion of the Earth in 2022.

Arcenciel

Category: Inspiration and Action

Arceniel is an environmental non-profit group in Lebanon. Established in 1985, the institution’s founding goal was to help the people who were injured during Lebanon’s civil war. Today, it focuses on helping marginalized people, encourages environmental sustainability, and supports the conservation of natural resources. Its Sustainable Agriculture and Environment programme aids Lebanon in solid waste management. In fact, 87 percent of the country’s hospital waste is treated by Arceniel. In 2020, the port in Beirut experienced a monumental explosion of ammonium nitrate. This destroyed many neighborhoods, some even as far away as 20 Km. Arceinel played a key role in rehabilitating the shattered neighborhoods in Beirut and collecting the shattered glass. Its efforts to build a sustainable future, its twenty-year history in effective waste management, and its role in helping the Lebanese government in shaping its first waste management law have earned it its Champions of the Earth Award in 2022.

Constantino Aucca Chutas

Category: Inspiration and Action

Constantino Aucca Chutas is the cofounder and president of Asociacion Ecosistemas Andinos and the co-founder of Accion Andina. Born in Peru, Aucca has dedicated his life to the conservation of South American forests. His Asociacion Ecosistemas Andinos has overseen the planting of more than three million trees in Peru as well as has restored and protected 30,000 hectares of land. Aucca’s efforts has also aided indigenous communities in attaining legal rights to their lands and transforming their native forests into protected areas. It is no wonder that Constantino Aucca Chutas is the recipient of the Champions of the Earth Award.

Conclusion

The Champions of the Earth Awards is an extraordinary initiative undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme. By recognizing the efforts of those who take the steps to create a sustainable world, the awards inspire others to do the same. The Champions of the Earth Laureates implement policies and solutions to build a better future. They are truly agents of change.

We all hope to create a sustainable world, and it is not feasible without our own efforts. As Derrick Jensen said in Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization, “We cannot hope to create a sustainable culture with any but sustainable souls.”

Do comment and let me know your thoughts about sustainability.