Preface

The Earth is a complex system of subtle interrelationships among the air, water, soil,animals, plants and microbes—a truly unique planet in our solar system. Since thedawn of history, humankind has used the natural environment to build civilization.
There is no disputing that our ability to enjoy the amenities of life on this Earth today
is largely a result of the 20th century's astonishing technological advances and economic development. This has come at the cost, however, of allowing the environment
to be harmed by global warming, over-exploitation of forest resources and declining
wildlife stocks. Our mission as humans is to pass on this beautiful and irreplaceable
planet in a state of sustainable natural abundance to the generations that follow.
In 1992, the year of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Asahi GlassFoundation first awarded the Blue Planet Prize, an international award that recognizes
individuals and organizations that have made major contributions to solving global
environmental problems. In expressing its appreciation for the achievements of thewinners, the Foundation hopes to raise awareness of environmental issues and stimulate interest and involvement in these issues throughout the world.
The year 2001, the start of the century often billed as the "Age of the Environment,"
marked the 10th awarding of the Blue Planet Prize. We are extremely delighted tohave been able to recognize 20 individuals or organizations so far that have achieved
significant results in the environmental arena. It is our pleasure now to commemorate
this 10th anniversary by publishing the commemorative lectures and essays of therecipients awarded the prize in the sixth to 10th years in the form of this book, A Better
Future for the Planet Earth Volume II. It is the sequel to the first volume published in
1997 that featured the commemorative lectures and essays of the recipients awarded
the prize in the first five years.
I sincerely
recipients

hope that this publication,

available

environmental

to a wider audience,

problems

throughout

by makingthe achievements

will serve as an aid to peopleof the prize

working

to solve

the world.

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Seen from the vast, jet-black emptiness of outer space, Earth is brilliant andblue—a miraculous planet capable of supporting life. Earth is humankind's sharedhome, and all of us on Earth today must endeavor to establish a new society based on
harmony with our natural environment. In this way, we can leave for future generations
a more prosperous, just and safe world.
We believe
humanity,solved.

wholeheartedly

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the Asahi

that, throughproblems
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the ingenuity

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August2002

effortsofsomeday

beto finding

these solutions.

Hiromichi

Seya

Chairman
TheIV

Asahi

GlassFoundation

TheEarthhomeAt the Asahi

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we hopetowardthat people

protecting

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to exist for tomorrow'sthat our magnificent
generations.

* The Blue Planet Prize symbol, top left, represents our responsibilities
to our fragile home. It is a symbol of hopefor our children, of coexistence
and interrelation
with our environment.
This design depicts the dynamic connection and balance between all elements of our world: the pristine blue sky and sea, people, nature and the universe.

vInauguralBlue Planet Prize
Winners Announcedat UNCED (1992)

Media

receptionprior to the press
conference on theannouncementofthe awards.

Professor Jiro Kondo, president of theScience Council of Japan and a directorof the Asahi Glass Foundation, makes aspeech at the media reception.

Press conference
de Janeiro.

at the Earth Summit in Rio

Announcement of Winners
The winners of the inaugural Blue Planet Prize wereannounced during UNCED, which took place in Rio deJaneiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. On June 4, theFoundation held a media reception at the Meridien
Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. On June 8, the winners wereannounced in the Briefing Room of the Rio Centro
Convention Center, the same room in which the United
Nations held its UNCED press conference. TheFoundation also sponsored a display booth spotlighting
its activities at Global Forum '92, an event organized bya number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
and held during UNCED in Rio's Flamengo Park.

Attendingthe awards announcement
were, fromleft, Richard Sandbrook,
executive director of theIIED;
Maurice
Strong,secretary-generalofUNCED;
Dr. Saburo Okita, former ministerofForeign Affaires and a director of the Asahi GlassFoundation;
Hideaki Yamashita,
chairman of theAsahi Glass Foundation;
Ambassador
Masaki Seo;and Osamu Shiragami, senior executive director ofthe Asahi Glass Foundation.

UNCED = United Nations Conference on Environment
All personal titles refer to positions held at the time.

viand Development

Some Backgroundon the Blue PlanetPrize

Humankind has only one home, the Earth, and we all bear responsibility to leave it ina habitable condition for future generations. To encourage the search for global environmental solutions, the Foundation established the Blue Planet Prize, an annual international award presented to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions to the solution of global environmental problems. The year the prize wasfirst awarded, 1992, was the year that the world turned its attention to environmental
issues at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. In keeping with the spirit of that conference, the Foundation hopes to help raise awareness of and interest in environmental
issues throughout the world while expressing its appreciation for the achievements ofthe winners.
Each year, the Foundation chooses two individuals or organizations whose pioneering achievements represent major contributions to solving such environmental
problems as global warming, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, ecosystem destruction
in tropical rainforests, species extinction and desertification. The Foundation is also
keen to recognize work in areas related to energy, food, population, waste treatment,
recycling, as well as environmental management, ethics, philosophy and education.
The achievements of potential award winners must contribute to forming a basis for the
harmonious coexistence of peoples, societies and the environment. They should contribute to humankind's pool of scientific knowledge as well as to the realization of a
global community that uses science and technology for the good of all. Candidate
nominations are received from nominators in more than 120 countries around theworld. Living citizens of all nations, irrespective of gender or religion, are eligible. The
list of nominees is narrowed down by the Selection Committee with the help of overseas advisors. Final decisions are made by the Presentation Committee and nominees
are approved by the Foundation's Board of Directors and Councillors.
The winners are presented with a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy
and a supplementary prize of 50 million yen at an awards ceremony. The ceremonytakes place in Tokyo and is attended each year by members of the Japanese royal family, government officials, foreign diplomats, academics and researchers, as well as representatives from many fields of endeavor. On the day following the awards ceremony,the laureates present lectures on their work to an audience at the United Nations
University in Tokyo. This lecture event is well attended by the general public, journal-1711

ists, environmental specialists and academics from related fields. For the past ten years,
the Foundation has published a full transcript of the lectures. Moreover, in 1997 thefifth anniversary of the prize was commemorated by publishing A Better Future for thePlanet Earth, a compilation of the lectures and essays by the prize winners for thoseyears.
Information about the laureates and their achievements is also available on-line at
the Foundation's website (http://www.af-info.or.jp).
The Blue Planet Prize was so named in the hope that our blue planet will be ashared asset capable of sustaining human life far into the future. The Earth is a preciousecosystem, home to myriad living things. At the Asahi Glass Foundation, we sincerely
hope that people everywhere will work toward protecting our planet from a humanmade demise, ensuring that the natural environment continues to exist for tomorrow'sgenerations. We believe wholeheartedly that, through the ingenuity and earnest effortsof humanity, the serious environmental problems that we now face will someday besolved.
Blue Planet

Prize

Selection

Process

Selection CommitteeDeterminesSelectionCriteria

SelectionCommitteeSolicitsNomineesfrom Nominators

SelectionCommittee
EvaluatesNominees
Evaluation
ResultsCompiled

SelectionCommittee
Convenes
toSelectFinalCandidates

PresentationCommitteeEvaluatesFinalistsandSends
Recommendations
tothe Boardof Directorsand Councillors

Boardof Directorsand Councillors
Makes Final Decisionon Recipients

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