Bob Watson awarded 2014 UNEP Champions of the Earth Award for services to science and innovation

The Champions of the Earth Award is the United Nations’ highest environmental accolade, awarded to the innovators and policymakers whose service to the environment is saving lives, improving livelihoods and bettering environmental governance and conservation.

The award is the United Nations’ flagship environmental prize, recognizing outstanding visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy, science, entrepreneurship, and civil society action. Past laureates have included Mikhail Gorbachev, Al Gore, Felipe Calderon, Mohamed Nasheed, Marina Silva, Vinod Khosla, and many other thought leaders on environment and development.

Bob Watson has been awarded the prize for Science and Innovation, for ‘promoting the science behind ozone depletion, global warming and the impacts of biodiversity loss’.

The other winners of UNEP's 2014 Champions of the Earth Award are:

For Policy Leadership

H.E. Tommy Remengesau, Jr. President of Palau for strengthening the economic and environmental resilience of Palau by spearheading national policies to protect biodiversity.

Sixth President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for becoming the first president from a major developing country to voluntarily pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For Entrepreneurial Vision

U.S. Green Building Council for changing the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated.

For Inspiration and Action

Boyan Slat, Founder of The Ocean Clean-up Initiative for charting new territory in his quest for a solution to the worsening and global problem of plastic debris in our oceans.

Fatima Jibrell, Founder of Adeso (formerly Horn Relief) for building environmental and social resilience amidst war and devastation.

For Lifetime Leadership

Sylvia Earle, Ocean Explorer and Conservationist for developing global "hope spots" to safeguard the living systems underpinning global processes that maintain biodiversity.

Mario Molina, Nobel Laureate and Renowned Ozone Scientist for spearheading one of the most significant climate-related global agreements ever made.

Winners will be honoured by UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner at an awards ceremony attended by UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Gisele Bundchen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. on 19 November 2014.

Visit http://www.unep.org/champions/ for more details.