With UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth – the UN’s most prestigious award for environmental action by young people – we are looking for 7 young changemakers with pathbreaking ideas and solutions that showcase nature’s potential in addressing the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss.
Humanity is using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our way of life, and nature cannot keep up.Global leaders have agreed to turn things around – under the Global Biodiversity Framework and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030). Now it is time to use our voices, choices, and actions to make change happen. We cannot turn back time. But we can work with nature to build a resilient planet, reduce emissions, and create sustainable livelihoods. The world’s youth is bearing the brunt of rising inequality and unemployment. If the next generation is to fulfil its promise of renewal, it will require better access to networks and capital, a seat at the table of environmental decision-making, tailored mentoring and training.
In 2024, seven young people – selected from every region of the globe – will be named UNEP Young Champions of the Earth. These winners receive seed funding, intensive training and tailored mentoring to bring their big environmental ideas to life. We’re looking for artists, scientists, economists, communicators, and entrepreneurs from all walks of life who have big, bold ideas – for nature, for humanity, for a greener future.