Eco warriors who triumphed in David and Goliath battles with oil giants, coal firms and beef producers were among those honoured by a prestigious award this week.
The Goldman environmental prize – dubbed the ‘Green Nobel prize’ – was founded in 1989 to celebrate activists scoring wins for the planet. Many previous winners have become government officials, heads of state and NGO leaders.
This year’s recipients include Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu, who helped halt destructive seismic testing for oil and gas off South Africa’s Eastern Cape (as reported in a previous ‘what went right’).
The other winners were: Alok Shukla, who saved 445,000 acres of forests in Indian from coal mining; Murrawah Maroochy Johnson, who halted a destructive coal mine in Queensland, Australia; Teresa Vicente, who helped rescue Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon; Andrea Vidaurre, who pushed California, US, to reduce transport emissions; and Marcel Gomes, whose investigative reporting prevented beef linked to deforestation from being sold in Europe.
“These wonderful grassroots leaders refused to be complacent in the face of adversity, or to be cowed by powerful corporations and governments,” said John Goldman, president of the Goldman Environmental Foundation. “Together, they are a collective force – and a growing global movement – that is breathtaking and full of hope.”
