In News:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced the winners of the 2025 Young Champions of the Earth Award, recognising three outstanding entrepreneurs from India, Kenya, and the United States for their innovative solutions addressing pressing environmental challenges.

About the Award

• Launched: 2017
• Relaunched: 2025, in partnership with Planet A, an environmental awareness initiative co-founded by U.S. cleantech executive Chris Kemper.
• Organised by:United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Objective: To empower and celebrate young innovators (below 30 years of age) offering scalable solutions to the triple planetary crisis — climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution & waste.

Each winner receives USD 20,000 in seed funding, mentorship, and access to a global platform to expand their innovations. They also participate in the Planet A Pitch Competition, with opportunities to win an additional USD 100,000 growth grant and a potential USD 1 million seed investment.

2025 Award Winners

• JinaliMody (India) – Founder, Banofi Leather
  • Innovation: Produces sustainable, leather-like material from banana crop waste.
  • Impact: Reduces water consumption, chemical pollution, and carbon emissions associated with traditional leather production.
  • Significance: A women-led initiative tackling the fast fashion industry’s environmental footprint while promoting circular economy principles.
• Joseph Nguthiru (Kenya) – Founder, HyaPak
  • Innovation: Converts the invasive water hyacinth from Lake Naivasha into biodegradable packaging and seedling wrappers.
  • Impact: Provides a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics while addressing invasive species management.
• Noemi Florea (United States) – Founder, Cycleau
  • Innovation: Developed a compact greywater reuse system that can retrofit household sinks, showers, and laundry units.
  • Impact: Converts wastewater into potable water using low energy, offering a scalable model for water conservation and reuse.

Significance

• The award exemplifies youth-driven environmental innovation, aligning with UNEP’s broader mission to foster sustainable solutions.
• It highlights global South participation, with India and Kenya demonstrating leadership in low-cost, eco-friendly technologies.
• The 2025 relaunch underscores growing private sector and media collaboration in advancing environmental entrepreneurship through platforms like Planet A.

In News:

• Madhav Gadgil, an Indian ecologist, received the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)'s Champions of the Earth Award in 2024.
• The Champions of the Earth Award is UNEP’s highest environmental honor, recognizing individuals, organizations, and governments for significant contributions to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Contributions of Madhav Gadgil:

• Work in Western Ghats:
  • Gadgil is recognized for his seminal work in the Western Ghats, an ecologically sensitive region in India, which is a global biodiversity hotspot.
  • He chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), formed by the Indian government to assess the impacts of population pressure, climate change, and development on the region.
• Recommendations by WGEEP:
  • Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA): Recommended declaring the entire Western Ghats range as an ESA.
  • The WGEEP suggested dividing the Western Ghats into three Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) based on environmental sensitivity.
  • Development Restrictions: Proposed a ban on activities like mining, quarrying, thermal power plants, and large-scale hydropower projects in the most sensitive zones (ESZ-1).
  • Governance Recommendations: Suggested a bottom-to-top governance approach, beginning with Gram Sabhas, and the creation of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA) for effective management.
• Impact of Gadgil’s Work:
  • His research and recommendations have played a crucial role in shaping environmental policy and public opinion in India.
  • The UNESCO World Heritage status for the Western Ghats in 2012 was a significant step in global recognition of the region’s ecological importance.

About the Champions of the Earth Award:

• History & Significance:
  • Established in 2005, the award recognizes trailblazers working towards addressing the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
  • Since its inception, it has honored 122 laureates who have shown outstanding leadership in environmental conservation.
• 2024 Awardees:
  • Madhav Gadgil (India) – for his work on the Western Ghats.
  • Sonia Guajajara (Brazil) – for advocacy for Indigenous rights and environmental protection.
  • Amy Bowers Cordalis (USA) – for her work in Indigenous rights and ecosystem restoration.
  • Gabriel Paun (Romania) – for defending Europe’s old growth forests from illegal logging.
  • Lu Qi (China) – for contributions to afforestation and combating desertification.
  • SEKEM (Egypt) – for advancing sustainable agriculture.

Key Facts about UNEP:

• UN Environment Programme (UNEP):
  • Established in 1972, UNEP is a leading global authority on environmental issues.
  • UNEP aims to address climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution through scientific research, policy support, and public advocacy.
  • UNEP is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya and works closely with 193 Member States to tackle the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges.