NAIROBI, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Thursday honored British naturalist, broadcaster and green campaigner David Attenborough with the Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award.
UNEP said that Attenborough was honored for his dedication to research, documentation and advocacy aimed at enhancing the protection and restoration of natural habitats.
"Sir David Attenborough has devoted his life to documenting the love story between humans and nature, and broadcasting it to the world," the UNEP's executive director Inger Andersen said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
Andersen noted that advocacy spearheaded by Attenborough through television documentaries has revitalized action on climate change and pollution while strengthening the protection of global biodiversity hotspots.
"Sir David's work will continue to inspire people of all ages to care for nature and to become the restoration generation," said Andersen.
Attenborough joins a list of global icons that were recipients of the annual Champions of the Earth award, the highest UN environmental honor that recognizes leaders from government, industry and civil society who have made a mark in advancing the green agenda.
His career as a broadcaster, natural historian, author and green advocate spans more than seven decades and some of his acclaimed documentaries include Life on Earth, the Living Planet. Attenborough's advocacy to help preserve and restore biodiversity, hasten the transition to renewable energy, mitigate climate change and promote plant-rich diets has boosted progress toward realizing the 2030 universal goals, according to the UNEP.
Attenborough, born in 1926, has also been a staunch defender of a robust multilateral environmental regime, amid conviction it was key to tackling challenges facing the planet and its inhabitants.
Upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Attenborough said in a video clip that collective action by the human race is key to halting the degradation of vital ecosystems. He noted that five decades ago, whales were on the verge of extinction globally but when countries and societies joined forces to protect the giant sea mammals, their population spiked. ■