David Attenborough Lifetime Achievement Award

Sir David Attenborough is in the category of "Environmentalist Greats" like Jane Goodall, John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Rachel Carson, and Sylvia Earle. (For more "greats," check out this Treehugger article. No doubt, the list could easily be 5 times longer!). 

At the age of 95, he has been an avid eco-warrior for 7 decades. It is for that reason, he certainly deserves the honor that was bestowed on him last week, just before Earth Day: The United Nations Champion of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021. The Champions of the Earth awards are the highest award given out by the UN Environment Programme [UNEP] and is awarded to people for their contribution to biodiversity, pollution, climate change, other important environmental issues. They have been honoring environmental leaders since 2005. 

The Lifetime Achievement Award is not the only UNEP award given out annually. To date, the UNEP have honored "106 laureate, ranging from world leaders to technology inventors. They include 26 world leaders, 64 individuals and 16 groups of organizations." The categories and 2021 winners are as follows, and you can learn more about them here. Each award winner has a short video along with a tribute to their activities at the links listed below.

• Inspiration & Action Award: Nonprofit Group Sea Women of Melanesia
• Entrepreneurial Vision: Maria Kolesnikova from the Kyrkyz Republic
• Science & Innovation: Uganda's Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka
• Policy Leadership: Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley

Check out this UNEP link to see the Laureates across all categories since 2018. Further filtering can get you to individual laureates dating back to 2005.

Image from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/movies/david-attenborough-a-life-on-our-planet-review.html; Video from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlvn23rSt0M