One of the two top environmental prizes in the world has this year been awarded to Dr Jeremy Leggett, founder of Highlands Rewilding. The Blue Planet Prize has been awarded by the Asahi Glass Foundation to two recipients annually since the Earth Summit in 1992, Past winners include Jim Hansen, Gro Harlem Brundtland, and James Lovelock. See the full press release from the Asahi Glass Foundation here.
Dr Leggett’s comment, “Given the calibre of the past winners of this prize, I was frankly flabbergasted to be awarded it.
“The Blue Planet Prize selection panel says the award is for a combination of my work in climate, solar, and nature. I consider the real winners of this honour therefore to be the teams I have worked with over the years, including at Carbon Tracker, Solarcentury and Highlands Rewilding. To the extent that the majority of the Highlands Rewilding team are not just Scots but members of the local communities where we work, I feel that the award could not have been won without Scotland, and Scots, and as such I hope – given that it is one of the two top environmental awards in the world – it can be something for the nation to feel a little proud of.
“I will put the entire prize fund into the fight by the Highlands Rewilding team to break through on the frontier of the nature recovery market, vital as it is for a liveable future on our blue planet.”