NY / ENVIRONMENT AWARD

Mexican President Felipe Calderon was named one of the five winners Tuesday of the 2011 Champions of the Earth awards presented by the United Nations Environment Programme at New York city's American Museum of Natural History. UNEP

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:55
• Production Date: 11 May 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME - UNEP
• Subject Topical: ENVIRONMENT; POLLUTION; ENERGY RESOURCES
• MAMS Id: U110511i

Description

STORY: NY / ENVIRONMENT AWARD
TRT: 1:55
SOURCE: UNEP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 10 MAY 2011, AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, NEW YORK

Shotlist

1. Pan left, ceiling to stage
2. Med shot, Mexican President Felipe Calderón and wife at event
3. Cutaway, audience
4. Med shot, Calderón accepts award from UNEP head Achim Steiner
5. Cutaway, audience
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Felipe Calderón, President, Mexico:
“What can we do to build a green economy for the world? I think that we need to transfer into action the creativity and innovation that we can see around the world. Solar powered vehicles, scientists working on cleaning the world…but we need to transform, we need to change individual actions in favour of massive actions through public policy.”
7. Cutaway, Calderón talking
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Felipe Calderón, President, Mexico:
“I know that it is not easy, it is very difficult. I know that it implies a strong willingness of the government and a lot of money to finance that, but at the end of the day, we can close the gap between nature and men, and, at the same time, between rich and poor. Why? Because there are a lot of programmes in which we can combat both at the same time, and that is the only solution that we have in order to face the challenge of the future. My conclusion is green economy is possible.”
9. Med shot, audience clapping

Storyline

Mexican President Felipe Calderon was named one of the five winners Tuesday of the 2011 Champions of the Earth awards presented by the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme (UNEP) at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History.

According to UNEP, the President has been a strong voice for the environment on the world stage since his election in 2006. He has been praised for his stewardship of international climate change negotiations, most recently as host of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, last year.

The Cancun talks resulted in several new initiatives and institutions, including the strengthening of the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanisms and the creation of a Green Climate Fund, which will manage long-term finance mobilized to enable developing countries to address climate change.

At the award ceremony yesterday, Calderón talked about the “need to transfer into action the creativity and innovation that we can see around the world” to promote economic growth and at the same time protect nature.

He called green economy “the only solution that we have in order to face the challenge of the future.”

Other than Calderón, global music legend Angélique Kidjo and adventurer Louis Palmer were among the five winners of the 2011 Champions of the Earth awards.

Launched in 2005, Champions of the Earth is the UN’s flagship environmental award. To date, it has recognised 46 individuals and organizations for their leadership, vision, inspiration and action on the environment.

The diverse list of previous Champions laureates include former US Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore, Chinese actress and environmental advocate Zhou Xun, the Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) and Dr. Atiq Rahman, an author and sustainable development expert from Bangladesh.