Six Winners Goldman Environmental Prize 2020 Announced
Geschreven op 14-4-2008 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Agenda, EEN-Armoede, Int. Samenwerking, Mensenrechten
3 december 2020: Introducing the 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners.
Each year, the Goldman Environmental Prize is honored to recognize six heroes of the environment. Hosted by award-winning actress Sigourney Weaver, this virtual award ceremony will feature Robert Redford, Danni Washington, and Lenny Kravitz, as well as musical performances from Jack Johnson and Michael Franti.
As a direct result of Chibeze Ezekiel’s four-year grassroots campaign, the Ghanaian Minister of Environment canceled the construction of a 700-megawatt (MW) coal power plant and adjoining shipping port to import coal. The coal power plant would have been Ghana’s first. Ezekiel’s activism stopped the coal industry from entering Ghana and steered the nation’s energy future away from coal.
Drawing on the power of youth activism, Kristal Ambrose convinced the government of The Bahamas to ban single-use plastic bags, plastic cutlery, straws, and Styrofoam containers and cups. Announced in April 2018, the nationwide ban went into effect in January 2020.
Leydy Pech, an indigenous Mayan beekeeper, led a coalition that successfully halted Monsanto’s planting of genetically modified soybeans in southern Mexico. The Mexican Supreme Court ruled that the government violated the Mayans’ constitutional rights and suspended the planting of genetically modified soybeans. Because of the persistence of Pech and her coalition, in September 2017, Mexico’s Food and Agricultural Service revoked Monsanto’s permit to grow genetically modified soybeans in seven states.
In 2017, Lucie Pinson’s activism successfully pressured France’s three largest banks to eliminate financing for new coal projects and coal companies. She then compelled French insurance companies to follow suit: between 2017 and 2019, mega insurers AXA and SCOR announced plans to end insurance coverage for coal projects.
Nemonte Nenquimo led an indigenous campaign and legal action that resulted in a court ruling protecting 500,000 acres of Amazonian rainforest and Waorani territory from oil extraction. Nenquimo’s leadership and the lawsuit set a legal precedent for indigenous rights in Ecuador, and other tribes are following in her footsteps to protect additional tracts of rainforest from oil extraction.
Seeking to preserve both the environment and Karen culture in Myanmar, in December 2018 Paul Sein Twa led his people in establishing a 1.35-million-acre peace park—a unique and collaborative community-based approach to conservation—in the Salween River basin. The Salween River basin is a major biodiversity zone and home to the indigenous Karen people, who have long sought self-determination and cultural survival. The new park represents a major victory for peace and conservation in Myanmar.
31 mei 2019: Introducing the 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners. Meet these six extraordinary individuals who have moved mountains to protect our planet.
Under threat of violence, environmental lawyer Alfred Brownell stopped the clear-cutting of Liberia’s tropical forests by palm oil plantation developers. His campaign protected 513,500 acres of primary forest that constitute one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. For his safety, he is living in temporary exile in the United States.
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren helped create the 1.8 million-acre Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve in the South Gobi Desert—a critical habitat for the vulnerable snow leopard—and persuaded the Mongolian government to prohibit all mining within the reserve.
Ana Colovic Lesoska led a seven-year campaign to cut off international funding for two large hydropower plants planned inside of North Macedonia’s Mavrovo National Park, thereby protecting the habitat of the nearly-extinct Balkan lynx.
Jacqueline Evans led a five-year campaign to protect the Cook Islands’ stunning marine biodiversity. Because of her persistent organizing, the Cook Islands enacted new legislation—Marae Moana—to sustainably manage and conserve all 763,000 square miles of the country’s ocean territory, designating marine protected areas (MPAs) around all 15 islands.
Linda Garcia organized her community to stop construction of the Tesoro Savage oil export terminal in Vancouver, Washington. By preventing North America’s largest oil terminal from being built, Garcia halted the flow of 11 million gallons of crude oil per day from North Dakota to Washington.
Alberto Curamil organized his Mapuche community to stop the construction of two hydroelectric projects on the sacred Cautín River in Chile. The projects would have diverted hundreds of millions of gallons of water each day, harming a critical ecosystem and exacerbating drought conditions. In 2018, Curamil was arrested and remains in jail today. Colleagues believe that he was targeted because of his activism.
10 January 2019: Prize Winners Celebrate the Goldman Environmental Prize’s 30th Anniversary
This year marks our 30th anniversary of honoring the Earth’s heroes. Since 1989, we have awarded 188 individuals from 87 countries the Goldman Environmental Prize for their grassroots activism around the world. A few of our Prize winner friends were kind enough to share their best wishes for the occasion.
23 april 2018: Announcing the 2018 Goldman Prize Winners. We are thrilled to introduce the Goldman Environmental Prize winners for 2018! Each of these individuals has moved mountains to protect the environment and their communities, and changed the world in ways large and small. Get to know these incredible Prize winners and learn more about how you can support their work.
As grassroots activists, Makoma Lekalakala and Liz McDaid built a broad coalition to stop the South African government’s massive secret nuclear deal with Russia. On April 26, 2017, the High Court ruled that the $76 billion nuclear power project was unconstitutional—a landmark legal victory that protected South Africa from an unprecedented expansion of the nuclear industry and production of radioactive waste.
Khanh Nguy Thi used scientific research and engaged Vietnamese state agencies to advocate for sustainable long-term energy projections in Vietnam. Highlighting the cost and environmental impacts of coal power, she partnered with state officials to reduce coal dependency and move toward a greener energy future.
A tireless defender of the oceans and marine life, Claire Nouvian led a focused, data-driven advocacy campaign against the destructive fishing practice of deep-sea bottom trawling, successfully pressuring French supermarket giant and fleet owner Intermarché to change its fishing practices. Her coalition of advocates ultimately secured French support for a ban on deep-sea bottom trawling that led to an EU-wide ban.
Manny Calonzo spearheaded an advocacy campaign that persuaded the Philippine government to enact a national ban on the production, use, and sale of lead paint. He then led the development of a third-party certification program to ensure that paint manufacturers meet this standard. As of 2017, 85% of the paint market in the Philippines has been certified as lead safe.
LeeAnne Walters led a citizens’ movement that tested the tap water in Flint, Michigan, and exposed the Flint water crisis. The results showed that one in six homes had lead levels in water that exceeded the EPA’s safety threshold. Walters’ persistence compelled the government to take action and ensure that residents of Flint have access to clean water.
A formidable leader of the Afro-Colombian community, Francia Márquez organized the women of La Toma and stopped illegal gold mining on their ancestral land. She exerted steady pressure on the Colombian government and spearheaded a 10-day, 350-mile march of 80 women to the nation’s capital, resulting in the removal of all illegal miners and equipment from her community.
23 April 2017: Introducing the 2017 Goldman Prize Winners. Congratulations to the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners!
mark! Lopez, United States: Born and raised in a family of community activists, mark! Lopez persuaded the state of California to provide comprehensive lead testing and cleanup of East Los Angeles homes contaminated by a battery smelter that had polluted the community for over three decades.
Uroš Macerl, Slovenia: Uroš Macerl, an organic farmer from Slovenia, successfully stopped a cement kiln from co-incinerating petcoke with hazardous industrial waste by rallying legal support from fellow Eko Krog activists and leveraging his status as the only citizen allowed to challenge the plant’s permits.
Prafulla Samantara, India: An iconic leader of social justice movements in India, Prafulla Samantara led a historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed the indigenous Dongria Kondh’s land rights and protected the Niyamgiri Hills from a massive, open-pit aluminum ore mine.
Wendy Bowman, Australia: In the midst of an onslaught of coal development in Australia, octogenarian Wendy Bowman stopped a powerful multinational mining company from taking her family farm and protected her community in Hunter Valley from further pollution and environmental destruction.
Rodrigo Tot, Guatemala: An indigenous leader in Guatemala’s Agua Caliente, Rodrigo Tot led his community to a landmark court decision that ordered the government to issue land titles to the Q’eqchi people and kept environmentally destructive nickel mining from expanding into his community.
Rodrigue Katembo, Democratic Republic of Congo: Putting his life on the line, Rodrigue Katembo went undercover to document and release information about bribery and corruption in the quest to drill for oil in Virunga National Park, resulting in public outrage that forced the company to withdraw from the project.
17 April 2016: Introducing the 2016 Goldman Prize Winners. Congratulations to the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners!
Destiny Watford, United States: In a community whose environmental rights had long been sidelined to make room for heavy industry, Destiny Watford inspired residents of a Baltimore neighborhood to defeat plans to build the nation’s largest trash-burning incinerator less than a mile away from her high school.
Zuzana ?aputová, Slovakia: A public interest lawyer and mother of two, Zuzana ?aputová spearheaded a successful campaign that shut down a toxic waste dump that was poisoning the land, air and water in her community, setting a precedent for public participation in post-communist Slovakia.
Leng Ouch, Cambodia: In one of the most dangerous countries in the world for environmental activists, Leng Ouch went undercover to document illegal logging in Cambodia and exposed the corruption robbing rural communities of their land, causing the government to cancel large land concessions.
Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera, Puerto Rico: Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera helped lead a successful campaign to establish a nature reserve in Puerto Rico’s Northeast Ecological Corridor—an important nesting ground for the endangered leatherback sea turtle—and protect the island’s natural heritage from harmful development.
Máxima Acuña, Peru: A subsistence farmer in Peru’s northern highlands, Máxima Acuña stood up for her right to peacefully live off her own land, a property sought by Newmont and Buenaventura Mining to develop the Conga gold and copper mine.
Edward Loure, Tanzania: Edward Loure led a grassroots organization that pioneered an approach that gives land titles to indigenous communities—instead of individuals—in northern Tanzania, ensuring the environmental stewardship of more than 200,000 acres of land for future generations.
19 April 2015: Introducing the 2015 Goldman Prize Winners. Congratulations to the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners!
Phyllis Omido, Kenya: After learning her own breast milk was making her baby sick—and realizing her child wasn’t the only one suffering from lead poisoning— Phyllis Omido galvanized the community in Mombasa to shut down the smelter that was exposing people to dangerous chemicals.
Myint Zaw, Myanmar: Facing heavy government scrutiny and restricted use of tools like email or social media, Myint Zaw launched a national movement that successfully stopped construction of the Myitsone Dam on Myanmar’s treasured Irrawaddy River.
Howard Wood, Scotland: Howard Wood spearheaded a campaign that established the first community-developed Marine Protected Area in Scotland, giving citizens a voice in a debate that has been dominated by the commercial fishing industry.
Jean Wiener, Haiti: In a country plagued by extreme poverty and political instability, Jean Wiener led community efforts to establish the nation’s first Marine Protected Areas by empowering Haitians to see the long-term value in sustainably managing fisheries and mangrove forests.
Marilyn Baptiste, Canada: A former chief of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, Marilyn Baptiste led her community in defeating one of the largest proposed gold and copper mines in British Columbia that would have destroyed Fish Lake—a source of spiritual identity and livelihood for the Xeni Gwet’in.
Berta Cáceres, Honduras: In a country with growing socioeconomic inequality and human rights violations, Berta Cáceres rallied the indigenous Lenca people of Honduras and waged a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the world’s largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam.
22 April 2014: Introducing to the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners. Congratulations to the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize recipients:
Desmond D’Sa, South Africa: Desmond D’Sa rallied south Durban’s diverse and disenfranchised communities to successfully shut down a toxic waste dump that was exposing nearby residents to dangerous chemicals and robbing them of their constitutionally protected right to a safe and clean environment.
Ramesh Agrawal, India: With a small internet café as his headquarters, Ramesh Agrawal organized villagers to demand their right to information about industrial development projects and succeeded in shutting down one of the largest proposed coal mines in Chhattisgarh.
Suren Gazaryan, Russia: An internationally recognized bat expert and zoologist, Suren Gazaryan led multiple campaigns exposing government corruption and illegal use of federally protected forestland along Russia’s Black Sea coast.
Rudi Putra, Indonesia: A biologist by training, Rudi Putra is dismantling illegal palm oil plantations that are causing massive deforestation in northern Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem, protecting the habitat of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino.
Helen Holden Slottje: Using a clause in the state constitution that gives municipalities the right to make local land use decisions, Helen Slottje provided pro-bono legal assistance, helping towns across New York defend themselves from oil and gas companies by passing local bans on fracking.
Ruth Buendía Mestoquiari, Peru: Overcoming a history of traumatic violence, Ruth Buendía united the Asháninka people in a powerful campaign against large-scale dams that would have once again uprooted indigenous communities still recovering from Peru’s civil war.
17 April 2013: Congratulations to the 2013 Goldman Prize Recipients. On Monday, April 15, we celebrated six environmental heroes in front of an audience of 3,200 at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House. The ceremony was punctuated by powerful video profiles, energizing speeches from the recipients and overwhelming applause from the audience.
Following the ceremony, guests were treated to a reception at San Francisco’s City Hall, where they had the opportunity to meet the Goldman Prize recipients and members of the Goldman family.
Congratulations to the 2013 Goldman Prize recipients: Jonathan Deal, Azzam Alwash, Rossano Ercolini, Mama Aleta Baun, Kimberly Wasserman, and Nohra Padilla.
16 April 2012: Announcing the 2012 Recipients. The day is finally here! The Goldman Environmental Foundation is proud to announce the 2012 Goldman Prize recipients. Click the links below to find out more about each recipient.
Europe: Evgenia Chirikova, Russia
Islands & Island Nations: Edwin Gariguez, Philippines
North American: Caroline Cannon, USA
South & Central America: Sofia Gatica, Argentina
10 April 2011: Announcing the 2011 Goldman Prize Recipients. The day is finally here! The Goldman Environmental Prize is pleased to announce the 2011 recipients: Raoul du Toit, Zimbabwe, Dmitry Lisitsyn, Russia, Ursula Sladek, Germany, Prigi Arisandi, Indonesia, Hilton Kelley, USA, Francisco Pineda, El Salvador
19 April 2010: Announcing the 2010 Goldman Prize recipients.Representing a diverse selection of regions and environmental issues, this year’s Goldman Prize recipients are leaders whose critical work is being recognized on the global stage.
Lynn Henning (USA); Humberto Ríos Labrada (Cuba); Randall Arauz(Costa Rica) Front row: Thuli Makama (Swaziland); Tuy Sereivathana (Cambodia); Ma?gorzata Górska(Poland)
14 april 2008: Feliciano dos Santos uit Mozambique is de winnaar van de Goldman Environmental Prize die op 14 april wordt uitgereikt. Hij kreeg de prijs voor zijn muzikale inspanningen om op niet aflatende wijze de aandacht te vestigen op de slechte sanitaire omstandigheden en de HIV/Aids problematiek.
Met zijn band Massukos zette hij zich al eerder in voor onder ander Unicef. Met zijn songs vestigt Feliciano dos Santos voortdurend de aandacht op de armoede en de problemen. Bovendien zijn muziek is gewoon mooi om te horen, ook al zijn de teksten somber. Kijkt u hier naar wat voorbeelden. Bron: BBC News
Inmiddels zijn alle prijswinnaars, die net als Feliciano dos Santos allemaal $150.000 ontvangen om hun werk voort te zetten, ook bekend:
Marina Rikhvanova uit Rusland, die zich inzet om het Baikal meer te behouden en schoon te maken.
Ignace Schops uit België die zich heeft ingezet om het eerste Nationale Park in België te realiseren.
Rosa Ramos uit Puerto Rico die zich inzet om het Las Cucharillas Marsh Nature Reserve te realiseren.
Jesus Leon Santos uit Mexico die zich inzet om de bodemerosie in de Mixteca region, Oaxaca tegen te gaan.
Pablo Fajardo en Luis Yanza in Latijns-Amerika die al jaren de strijd aangaan met Texaco, inmiddels overgenomen door Chevron, om de enorme olievervuiling in het Amozonegebied van Equador op te ruimen. Stichting Milieunet steunt Olietegenwelkeprijs die vanuit Nederland actie voert om de olievervuiling in Equador aan te pakken.
Van iedere winnaar is een filmpje beschikbaar. Beslist de moeite waard om even te bekijken. Bron: Reuters
