Supriya Sahu Wins UNEP Champions of the Earth 2025 Award for Climate Leadership

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu, has been honoured with the 2025 Champions of the Earth Award, the United Nations’ highest environmental recognition. The award, announced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) during the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, celebrates her pioneering contributions to sustainable cooling, ecosystem restoration, and climate adaptation.

She received the award in the Inspiration and Action category, which recognises individuals creating measurable and transformative environmental benefits for people and the planet.

Why Supriya Sahu Was Selected

According to UNEP, Supriya Sahu’s climate initiatives have:

• Generated 2.5 million green jobs
• Expanded forest cover across Tamil Nadu
• Integrated heat-adaptation measures into public spaces and infrastructure
• Improved climate resilience for nearly 12 million people
• Positioned Tamil Nadu as a global leader in adaptation and sustainable cooling

Sahu’s work is especially crucial at a time when global temperatures are projected to cross 1.5°C within the coming decade, intensifying heatwaves and climate-related disasters.

Key Climate Contributions by Supriya Sahu

1. Sustainable Cooling Innovations

Under her leadership, Tamil Nadu has implemented heat-resilient public infrastructure such as:

• Tree-lined urban corridors
• Nature-based shading systems
• Heat action plans for vulnerable communities

2. Ecosystem Restoration

Her policies strengthened:

• Mangrove restoration efforts
• Wetland conservation
• Grassland regeneration

These interventions help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve ecological balance.

3. Community-Centric Climate Governance

Sahu’s programs combine low-tech and high-tech solutions, demonstrating how integrating citizen participation with government action creates long-lasting environmental change.

Other 2025 Champions of the Earth Award Laureates

This year’s global winners showcase groundbreaking solutions to climate and environmental challenges:

• Pacific Islands youth group – Secured a historic International Court of Justice advisory opinion on climate justice
• Mariam Issoufou (Sahel) – Recognised for climate-resilient architectural design
• Imazon (Brazil) – Honoured for AI-based deforestation monitoring
• Manfredi Caltagirone (Posthumous) – Lifetime achievement for methane reduction research

Together, these laureates highlight the urgent need for climate solutions that are innovative, scalable, and rooted in justice.

Significance of the Champions of the Earth Award

Established in 2005, the Champions of the Earth Award is UNEP’s most prestigious honour. Now in its 20th year, it celebrates individuals and organisations driving transformative environmental change across categories such as:

• Policy leadership
• Entrepreneurial vision
• Inspiration and action
• Science and innovation

UNEP noted that the 2025 winners demonstrate bold action at a time when adaptation costs for developing nations may reach USD 365 billion annually by 2035.