TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–This year marks the 31st awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, the international environmental award sponsored by the Asahi Glass Foundation, chaired by Takuya Shimamura. Every year, the Foundation selects two winners, individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the resolution of global environmental problems. The Board of Directors have selected the following 2022 Blue Planet Prize recipients.
2022 recipients
His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan
Born in the Kingdom of Bhutan, Date of Birth: 11 November, 1955
His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan, is the visionary leader who introduced the development philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) which places the well being of the people at the heart of development activities and programmes. GNH gives importance to environmental conservation, sustainable and equitable development, and promotion of culture and social values which contribute to collective happiness. Using happiness as a social indicator was taken on by the United Nations and OECD also employed it in their reports, giving inspiration for an alternative paradigm to modern society.
Professor Stephen Carpenter (USA)
Born in the USA, Date of Birth: 5 July, 1952
Emeritus Director of the Center for Limnology,
Stephen Alfred Forbes Professor Emeritus of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Professor Stephen Carpenter has conducted research on lake ecosystems for more than 40 years. Through his research on lake eutrophication, from nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen, he studied the resilience of lakes using mathematical models, providing a new perspective on social-ecological systems. He also worked on the environmental pollution from phosphorus and nitrogen through land use, showing the critical state of the global phosphorus cycle and the need to review human activity from a broad geochemical viewpoint.
Each recipient is presented with a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy, and 50 million Japanese yen in prize money.
We would like to hold the Blue Planet Prize Award Ceremony and commemorative lectures, which could well be on a smaller scale, while taking proper measures to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. The Award Ceremony is scheduled on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at Tokyo Kaikan. Commemorative lectures will be given on October 6 and 8, 2022, at the University of Tokyo and at Kyoto University, respectively.
This press release and the photo of each recipient will be published 11 a.m. on Wednesday June 15 on the website of the Asahi Glass Foundation (www.af-info.or.jp/en).