2019 (28th)
Blue Planet Prize Laureates
The laureates of 2019(28th)
Prof. Eric Lambin (Belgium)
Born in 1962
Professor, Université catholique de Louvain
George and Setsuko Ishiyama Provostial Professor, Stanford University
He has clarified the land use changes taking place on a global scale, the effects on ecosystems and the effectiveness of policies, using satellite remote sensing technologies and his original method of time-series analysis. From early on, he has pointed out that land use changes are causing adverse effects globally on natural systems. He has explained the relationship between economic activities and land use by linking socioeconomic data. His research activities have significantly influenced how public authorities and private enterprises develop land use policies for conserving forests. Those research findings have provided scientific support for making the most of forest certification programs, for implementing green purchasing commitments, and for promoting green procurement. He has made great contributions by stimulating the adoption of concrete interventions and practices to improve the sustainability of socioeconomic activities from the individual to the global scales.
Prof. Jared Diamond (USA)
Born in 1937
Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles
Historian
Non-fiction author
His ideas and arguments presented in his trilogy, Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, and The World Until Yesterday, include civilization theory, organizational theory, and society theory, and were created as a result of his exceptional intellectual explorations. They provide deep insight into the roots of today's environmental issues from a very broad perspective, explaining the significance of environmental issues in the history of human civilization from a unique perspective. In Collapse, he has listed 12 items as major factors in global environmental issues. He has regarded environmental issues as fundamental to any study of human history. Based on this concept, he has influenced the consciousness of contemporary civilization across nations and generations toward a mindset of thinking about the next steps for civilization. These achievements of Professor Diamond are highly appreciated.
- Information on past Blue Planet Prize laureates corresponds to their titles and positions at the time Prize was awarded.
- Each year the prize winners give lectures at the "Blue Planet Prize Commemorative Lecture".
- Every five years, lectures together with essays are compiled and published in a periodical book titled "A Better Future for the Planet Earth".
- The video of the lectures are available only from 2009.