UN to honour environmentalists

The United Nations will honour individuals, organizations, governments and companies who have made strides in reducing the suffering resulting from large-scale man made and natural disasters.

• An expert panel will decide the recipients of the Green Star Awards, a joint initiative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), along with the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and Green Cross International (GCI).
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• They honour efforts made to reduce the impact of environmental emergencies, defined as a sudden onset disaster or accident, caused by natural, technological or human-induced factors, which causes severe environmental damage and harms health and livelihoods.
• The awards will highlight the link between the adverse impacts of these emergencies and their effects on people and aid workers.
• “Disasters and conflicts can impact the environment in ways that threaten human life, health, livelihoods and security,” said John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. “Disaster managers and humanitarian workers must therefore identify and address acute environmental risks quickly and consistently as an integral part of effective emergency response.”
• The deadline for nominations is 30 January 2009, and the first-ever award will be held next May in Brussels, Belgium.
• This action would encourage big industries reduce natural disasters which lead to financial and human losses, chemicals  and gases such as carbon dioxide contribute to global warming.