The United Nations has awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emanuel Macron with 2018 ‘Champions of the Earth Awards’ on Wednesday. PM Narendra Modi was bestowed with this honour for his “unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, along with Narendra Modi was also awarded in ‘Policy Leadership Category’ for their “pioneering work in championing” the International Solar Alliance and “new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action”, the UN Environment Programme said.
Addition to this, the Cochin International Airport has also been bestowed with ‘Entrepreneurial Vision’ award for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. “Cochin is showing the world that our ever-expanding network of global movement doesn’t have to harm the environment. As the pace of society continues to increase, the world’s first fully solar-powered airport is proof positive that green business is good business,” the UNEP statement said.
Cochin International Airport Limited is also the first airport in the world to run its entire operations on solar energy. It is the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of international traffic in the country.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) established ‘Champions of the Earth’ awards in 2005 as an annual awards programme to recognize outstanding environmental leaders from the public and private sectors, and from civil society for their positive impact on the environment.
In 2018, this award has been awarded to six ‘outstanding environmental changemakers’ for their efforts and initiatives to tackle some of the most urgent environmental issues. The awards will be presented during the Champions of the Earth Gala in New York City, on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly.
