AsianScientist (Dec. 9, 2011) – Dr. Ashok Khosla OBE, one of the world’s leading experts on the environment and sustainable development, has been awarded the 2011 WWF Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal.
Ashok Khosla will receive the medal today in a special ceremony at the Buckingham Palace in London.
“I am honored to receive this award, and for me it highlights the fundamental mission of pushing forward sustainable development in our world today,” said Dr. Khosla.
“Now more than ever, it is crucial that governments and non-governmental bodies rally to ensure global development is not at the cost of the finite natural resources on which we all depend.”
Born in India in 1940, Dr. Khosla studied at both Cambridge University and Harvard University, where he earned a PhD in experimental physics.
In 2002, he received the ‘Nobel Prize’ of the environment world, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) Sasakawa Environment Prize.
Dr Khosla went on to found Development Alternatives, a Delhi-based non-governmental organization promoting commercially viable, environmentally friendly technologies.
A former director in the UNEP, Dr. Khosla was also the founding director of the Indian government’s Office of Environmental Planning and Coordination – the first such agency in a developing country.
He has also served as board member for numerous global environmental organizations – WWF International, the Stockholm Environment Institute, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Dr. Khosla is currently President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Club of Rome, and Co-Chair of the UN’s International Resource Panel.
“For nearly five decades, Ashok Khosla has been a pioneer in finding paths for development that can be sustained by the Earth’s resources,” said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International. “As WWF celebrates its 50th anniversary, we are proud to celebrate Dr. Khosla’s extraordinary contributions.”
The Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Medal was first given in 1970 and is awarded annually by WWF for outstanding service to the environment.
The 2010 winner was Anatoly Belov, a Russian anti-poaching ranger working on the frontlines of tiger protection.
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Source: World Wide Fund for Nature.
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