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Category I: Global leadership in environment and sustainable development

Awarded to President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea

In the midst of the recent economic and financial crisis Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea, seized the moment to commit his country to “Green Growth,” a new paradigm for economic development that binds together environment protection and economic prosperity, creating new growth engines and jobs through green technology and clean energy.

The President Lee Myung-bak’s vision and leadership was a central driver in transforming the Republic of Koreas development path into a low carbon, resource efficient, and Green Economy.By extending Koreas “Green New Deal” into a full five-year development road map, President Lee Myung-bak has signalled that Green Growth is a strategy well beyond current economic recovery efforts and is intended to fashion a green economic future. This has the potential of starting a domino effect on the major Asian economies.

Category II: Scientific/ technological achievements in environment

Awarded to Sir Partha Dasgupta, the Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and one of the most outstanding environmental economists of his generation. An Indian national, he has been one of the leading economists making the link between sustainability and economics in many ways well before such work was fashionable or fully understood.

Professor Dasgupta coined the term “inclusive wealth” to spotlight the way conventional measures of wealth—primarily GDP—fail to capture natural capital or environmental assets.

Category III: Environmental action leading to positive change in society

Awarded to Dr. Mathis Wackernagel and Prof. Najib Saab

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel has, through the co-founding of the GFN in 2003, translated the complexity of humanity's impact on the environment and natural resources into a more understandable and actionable form.

The concept of ecological limits and relating the demands of human beings to the planet's available ecological resources has attracted and is catalyzing action among governments, business and civil society.

Under Swiss-born Dr. Wackernagel's leadership, the Footprint is now recognized as a leading and highly comprehensible indicator of sustainability.

Prof. Najib Saab founded the groundbreaking and highly successful Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (Environment and Development) magazine in 1996. The magazine triggered unprecedented environmental awareness at all levels, built a new relationship between the policy-makers and people of the Arab world with the issues of environment and sustainability, and placed the environment high on national and regional agendas.

The magazine and Mr Saab's vision also acted as a spring board for a wider pan-Arab initiative which catalyzed in 2006 the establishment of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED).