Climate champion Xie wins Lui prize

For the second time since its inauguration last year, a personality from the Chinese mainland became a laureate of the Lui Che Woo Prize, Hong Kong’s answer to the Nobel Prize, for a remarkable contribution in his own arena.

Xie Zhenhua won this year’s Sustainability Prize for his focus on climate change prevention, while Yuan Longping was honored last year for research on hybrid rice to increase world food supply and enhance food safety.

This shows China’s development and achievement in technology and other areas has greatly advanced and is fully recognized by the international community, Frederick Ma Si-hang, a member of the Board of Governors of Lui Che Woo Prize, told a press conference on Tuesday which unveiled this year’s laureates.

Xie’s award recognized efforts in two main areas — firstly leading and promoting China’s domestic efforts in environmental protection, energy conservation and pollution reduction, and secondly championing and promoting international action on climate change. This culminated in the successful conclusion of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

Through his patient and intelligent efforts, Xie successfully convinced the governments of both China and the United States, the two largest countries and biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, to work together. While the Paris Agreement cannot be attributed to a single individual, few can be said to be as important, decisive and influential as Xie during the process.

Under the prize category of betterment of the welfare of mankind, the Lui Che Woo Prize went to Landesa, a US-based non-government organization. This is in recognition of its promotion of the idea of “land to the tiller” and its success in securing land rights for more than 120 million of the world’s poorest families in more than 50 countries over the past five decades.

Landesa has also made outstanding contributions to the alleviation of poverty by embracing the concept of “helping people to help themselves”.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) won the Positive Energy Prize for its outstanding work in proactively encouraging para-athletes in celebration and competitive participation in sports. This offers hope to people with impairment, and helps change society’s longheld biases toward them. The IPC is also commended for successfully promoting harmony among diverse groups and radiating positive energy around the globe.

The award presentation ceremony will be held on Oct 3.