FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 2021

2021 BLUE PLANET PRIZE:
ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRIZE WINNERS
This year marks the 30th awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, the international environmental award sponsoredby the Asahi Glass Foundation, chaired by Takuya Shimamura. Every year, the Foundation selects two winners,
individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the resolution of global environmental
problems. The Board of Directors have selected the following 2021 Blue Planet Prize recipients.
1. Prof. Veerabhadran Ramanathan (USA) Born in India, Date of Birth: 24 November, 1944
Edward A. Frieman Endowed Presidential Chair in Climate Sustainability
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego
Professor Ramanathan has spent decades investigating the climate effects of non-CO2
pollutants, including the role of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs): methane,
tropospheric ozone, halocarbons (HFCs*1), and black carbon*2. His contributions
include the discovery of the super greenhouse effect of halocarbons (CFCs*3), andclarifying the climate effects of black carbon through an international field project heled on Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABCs). He showed that reductions in SLCPs canrapidly reduce warming and significantly improve air pollution. He later took the
initiative in global actions to reduce SLCPs.
*1 Hydrofuorocarbons (CFC alternatives), no ozone depletion potential but much greater global warming potential than CO2.
*2 Commonly known as soot; formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuel, and biomass.
*3 Chlorofluorocarbons, large ozone depletion potential and much greater global warming potential than CO2.

2. Prof. Mohan Munasinghe (Sri Lanka)

Born in Sri Lanka, Date of Birth: 25 July, 1945

Founder Chairman, Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND)
Professor Munasinghe pioneered the integrative, transdisciplinary ‘Sustainomics’
framework which views development issues from environmental, social, andeconomic perspectives. Innovative concepts like ‘balanced inclusive green growth(BIGG)’ and ‘millennium consumption goals (MCGs)’ emerged from Sustainomics.
BIGG calls for each country to take a sustainable development path in accordancewith its development stage, while the MCGs ask the affluent, who consume mostglobal output, to adopt consumption goals to reduce the burden on the planet. He has
been developing practical activities using environmental economics and policy toimplement these concepts worldwide.
• Each recipient is presented with a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy, and 50 million Japanese yen
in prize money.
• We’d like to hold the Blue Planet Prize Award Ceremony and commemorative lectures, which could well be
on a smaller scale, while taking proper measures to prevent infection with the new coronavirus. The Award
Ceremony is scheduled on Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at Tokyo Kaikan. Commemorative lectures will begiven on October 7 and 9, 2021, at United Nations University (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) and at Kyoto
University, respectively.
• This press release and the photo of each recipient will be published 11 a.m. on Wednesday June 16 on the websiteof the Asahi Glass Foundation (www.af-info.or.jp).

Statements from the Award Recipients upon Notification of Selection
Prof. Veerabhadran Ramanathan (USA)It is a great honor to be awarded the Blue Planet prize for short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs)
research. Reducing the planetary heat-trapping by four SLCPs is essential for quick reductionsin global warming. The targeted SLCPs are: Methane; Black Carbon; tropospheric Ozone andhydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
The science of SLCPs has been known since 1975, when I was fortunate to discover theenormous heat-trapping effect of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which with HFCs belong to thehalocarbons family. Warming might have already exceeded dangerous levels had CFCs not beenphased out by the Montreal protocol to eliminate their ozone hole impacts.
We also have to phase-out Carbon-dioxide emissions by 2050 to stabilize long-term climate.
This prize is like the North Star for me since it will amplify my climate solution efforts –bridging gaps across political chasms and bringing science into alliance with policy and faithfor climate actions.

Prof. Mohan Munasinghe (Sri Lanka)
I am deeply grateful and honoured to receive the 2021 Blue Planet Prize, the premier global
environmental sustainability award, symbolizing the outstanding commitment of the Asahi
Glass Foundation of Japan, to a better future. I am indebted also to many who have contributed
generously to my intellectual development and emotional intelligence, including teachers,
mentors, colleagues, family and friends. Social ties have been invaluable to survive thepressures of COVID-19.
It is encouraging to learn that the award committee has specifically acknowledged several key
concepts I developed and their practical application worldwide, during almost 5 decades,
including the Sustainomics framework, sustainable development triangle (economy,
environment, society), balanced inclusive green growth (BIGG), and Millennium Consumption
Goals (MCGs).
My research interests have evolved, from basic disciplines like engineering, physics andeconomics, to application sectors like energy, water, transport, ICT, and environmental
resources, and finally to multidisciplinary topics like poverty, disasters, climate change andsustainable development. This eclectic experience helped me develop Sustainomics, as anintegrative, trans-disciplinary methodology. Drawing on my past work and the global platform
provided by the prestigious Blue Planet Prize, I will continue my modest efforts to make ourplanet more sustainable for all.

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Report on the Selection Process (2021 Blue Planet Prize)
A total of 472 nominators from Japan and 748 nominators from other countries recommended a total of 127
candidates. The top three fields represented by the candidates, in order of number, were environmental
economics and policy making (31), ecology (29), atmospheric and earth sciences (19). The candidates
represented 38 countries; 33 nominations, 28 percent of the total, were from developing countries.
After individual evaluation of the 127 candidates by each Selection Committee member, the committee wasconvened to narrow down the field. The results of their deliberation were examined by the Presentation
Committee. The Board of Directors formally decided to award the Prize to Prof. Ramanathan, and to Prof.
Munasinghe.
Laureates (1992-2021)

2007

Professor Joseph L. Sax (USA)Dr. Amory B. Lovins (USA)Dr. Charles D. Keeling (USA)IUCN—The World Conservation
Union (headquartered in Switzerland)

2008

Dr. Claude Lorius (France)
Professor José Goldemberg (Brazil)

1994

Professor Dr. Eugen Seibold (Germany)
Mr. Lester R. Brown (USA)2009

Professor Hirofumi Uzawa (Japan)
Lord Nicholas Stern of Brentford (UK)1995

Dr. Bert Bolin (Sweden)
Mr. Maurice F. Strong (Canada)

2010

Dr. James Hansen (USA)
Dr. Robert Watson (UK)1996

Dr. Wallace S. Broecker (USA)The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (India)

2011

Dr. Jane Lubchenco (USA)
Barefoot College (India)

1997

Dr. James E. Lovelock (UK)Conservation International (head­quarteredin the USA)
Professor Mikhail I. Budyko (Russia)
Mr. David R. Brower (USA)2012

Professor William E. Rees (Canada)
and Dr. Mathis Wackernagel (Switzerland)
Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy (USA)Dr. Taroh Matsuno (Japan)
Professor Daniel Sperling (USA)1999

Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich (USA)Professor Qu Geping (China)

2014

2000

Dr. Theo Colborn (USA)Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt (Sweden)

2015

2001

Lord (Robert) May of Oxford (Australia)
Dr. Norman Myers (UK)Dr. Harold A. Mooney (USA)Professor J. Gustave Speth (USA)2016

Dr. Gene E. Likens (USA) and
Dr. F. Herbert Bormann (USA)Dr. Vo Quy (Vietnam)
Dr. Susan Solomon (USA)Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland (Norway)

2018

Prof. Brian Walker (Australia)
Prof. Malin Falkenmark (Sweden)

2019

Prof. Eric Lambin (Belgium)
Prof. Jared Diamond (USA)Professor Sir Nicholas
Shackleton (UK)
Dr. Gordon Hisashi Sato (USA)Dr. Akira Miyawaki (Japan)
Dr. Emil Salim (Indonesia)

2020

Prof. David Tilman (USA)Dr. Simon Stuart (UK)2021

Prof. Veerabhadran Ramanathan (USA)Prof. Mohan Munasinghe (Sri Lanka)

1992

Dr. Syukuro Manabe (USA)International Institute for Environment andDevelopment (UK)

1993

1998

2002
2003
2004
2005
2006

2013

2017

Prof. Herman Daly (USA)Prof. Daniel H. Janzen (USA) and Instituto
Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio)
Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta
FBA FRS (UK)
Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs (USA)Mr. Pavan Sukhdev (India)
Prof. Markus Borner (Switzerland)Prof. Hans J. Schellnhuber (Germany)
Prof. Gretchen C. Daily (USA)For more information, please contact: Toshihiro Tanuma, PhD
THE ASAHI GLASS FOUNDATION
2nd Floor, Science Plaza, 5-3 Yonbancho Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 102-0081 Japan
Phone +81-3-5275-0620, Fax +81-3-5275-0871
e-mail: post@af-info.or.jp, URL: https://www.af-info.or.jp

3Supplementary Information
Profiles of the 2021 Blue Planet Prize RecipientsProf. Veerabhadran Ramanathan (USA)
Major research achievements and activities
In a 1975 paper in Science, Professor Ramanathan showed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)1 are about 5000 to
10000 times more potent than CO2 in warming the planet. This discovery subsequently led to the identificationof numerous other non-CO2 gases as major contributors to global warming.
In 1985, Ramanathan led a World Meteorological Organization study group and published a UN report whichconcluded that increases in non-CO2 greenhouse gases were contributing as much as CO2 increase to global
warming. The short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs)2, methane, tropospheric ozone and HFCs, in addition to
CFCs and nitrous oxide are the principal non-CO2 gases. This conclusion led to the inclusion of non-CO2
greenhouse gases along with CO2 in the Kyoto Protocol3.
Professor Ramanathan broadened his attention to aerosol4-derived atmospheric brown clouds (ABCs)5. He was
the American chief-scientist for the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) conducted during 1997 to 1999 with
200 scientists from around the world to study ABCs. INDOEX gathered observations of ABCs with aconstellation of satellites, surface stations, aircraft. Ramanathan continued ABC observations beyond INDOEXwith light-weight drones. The massive data revealed a 3-km thick brown clouds with large amounts of sulfate
and nitrate particles as well as black carbon and organic carbon particles. He and his team linked the black
carbon with substantive dimming of solar radiation at the surface, heating of the atmosphere, melting of theHimalayan-Tibetan glaciers, weakened monsoon circulation and large reductions in wheat and rice yields. He
made the first observationally based estimate of the global heating effect of black carbon thus clarifying the roleof SLCPs in global warming.
His studies on the warming effects of non-CO2 greenhouse gases and black carbon in ABCs, led him to theconclusion that targeting mitigation of four SLCPs would be the most effective way for bending the warming
curve quickly. The four SLCPs they targeted were: Methane, HFCs, Tropospheric Ozone and black carbon. His
projection was that drastic reductions of the SLCPs with available technologies would reduce the warming by
0.6°C before 2050 and thus cut down the near-term (decade) to medium-term (few decades) rate of warming byhalf. Through these studies, he argued effective ways to meet the Paris Agreement6 target of well below 2.0°C
which relied on pulling on three levers: The CO2 lever to achieve zero net emissions by 2050; The SLCPs leverto reduce, within 20 years, emissions of methane by 40%, black carbon by 90% and HFCs by 100%; and theAtmospheric Carbon Extraction (ACE) lever to extract more than 500 billion tons of CO2 by 2100.
In response to these findings, the UN asked Ramanathan to co-lead a scientific assessment of SLCPs, which led
to the formation of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)7. SLCPs were also included for mitigation
actions in the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)8.

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Ramanathan's work persuaded California to pass a climate action bill to drastically reduce emissions of SLCPs.
In 2016, the Montreal protocol was amended by the Kigali amendment which proposed large reductions in
HFCs. In 2021 April, the EPA (USA) proposed a rule to phase down HFCs.
Beginning 2013, he teamed up with his daughters, Nithya Ramanathan and Tara Ramanathan, and created
Project Surya which conducted demonstration projects with unique sensors to cut down emissions of black
carbon from cooking with solid fuels (firewood and dung).
More recently, he has been working to engage globally influential people in building public consensus for action
to curb climate change. Professor Ramanathan, who is not a Catholic but has been a member of the PontificalAcademy of Sciences9 since 2004, met Pope Francis in person in 2014 and informed him: “The poorest threebillion in the world, who had very little to do with CO2 emissions, will suffer the worst consequences of climatechange.” Since then, the Pope has often made statements calling for action on global warming including theneed for protecting the poor. He also appointed Ramanathan as science advisor for his Holy See delegation to
the 2015 UN Paris climate summit. Ramanathan was also responsible for persuading American evangelicalleaders to join him in discussions at the Vatican on global warming. Professor Ramanathan also advised the14th Dalai Lama on global warming and its impact on the poorest three billion people.
Thus, for more than 45 years, Professor Ramanathan has been perceiving, measuring, and explaining climatechange in terms of both reducing air pollution and global warming, and thus contributing to mitigation ofclimate change through rapid action to reduce SLCPs.
Academic and Career Background1965

Annamalai University, India（BA, Engineering）

1970

Indian Institute of Science, India（MS, Engineering）

1974

State University of New York at Stony Brook (Ph.D., Planetary Atmosphere)

1974-76 Post Doctoral Fellow, NASA Langley Research center, USA
1976-82 Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research, USA
1979-

Principal Investigator, NASA

1986-90 Professor, Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago
1990-

Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego

2002-

Academician, National Academy of Sciences, USA

2004-

Academician and council member (since 2014) of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

2011-

Academician (Foreign Member), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

2014-

Champion of Earth for Science and innovation, UN Environment

5Notes*1 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), also known by the brand name Freon, are compounds containing atoms ofcarbon, fluorine, and chlorine. They have been widely used as cleaning agents, refrigerants, foaming agents,
propellants for aerosol sprays, etc. Since CFCs are chemically stable substances, when released into theatmosphere, they, for the most part, don’t decompose in the troposphere and eventually reach thestratosphere. In the stratosphere, CFCs are decomposed by strong ultraviolet radiation from the sun,releasing chlorine atoms. These atoms catalyze a chain reaction that decomposes ozone.
*2 Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP)
These are air pollutants with a relatively short lifetime (a few months or less), such as tropospheric ozone,
aerosols, and black carbon (soot) emitted by human activity. Also known as short-lived climate forcers(SLCF), they are drawing attention for their effects on regional climate as well as regional pollution.
*3 Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty adopted at the Third Conference of the Parties (COP 3) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Kyoto in 1997, stipulating international
efforts to combat climate change. The Protocol set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions inindustrialized countries as a whole by 5% from the 1990 levels.
*4 Aerosol
A mixture of minute liquid or solid particles suspended in a gas and the gas surrounding such particles.
Aerosol particles are also called dust, fume, or mist according to their formation process, and are sometimes
called fog, mist, haze, or smog in meteorological terms depending on their visibility and color.
*5 Atmospheric brown clouds (ABCs)
An artificial form of air pollution caused by aerosols, such as sand and dust generated by fossil fuelcombustion and desertification. The presence of ABCs was perceived in 1999. Being smog that contains
soot and chemicals and absorbs sunlight, ABCs have the effect of increasing respiratory disease and heartdisease. In contrast to the increase in atmospheric temperature in the vicinity of ABCs, the temperature on
the earth’s surface decreases, which can reduce the yield of crops. It has also been pointed out that ABCs arelinked to climate change, such as monsoon anomalies in Asia. The United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), which has been working on ABCs since 2003 as a new environmental pollution problem,
announced in a report released on November 13, 2008 that ABCs three kilometers in thickness werespreading from the Arabian Peninsula to China and the western Pacific Ocean. The report warned of global
warming that would cause the snow and ice in the Himalayas to melt and of negative health effects.
*6 Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is an equitable and effective legal framework for the global action against the threat ofclimate change in the year of 2020 and beyond, in which signatories—regardless of whether they are fromdeveloped or developing countries—joined. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, which sets GHG emission
reduction targets only for developed economies, the Paris Agreement applies to all signatories. It calls for6

holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels andpursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Adopted at the 21stConference by the Parties (COP 21) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, heldin Paris in December 2015, the Paris Agreement took effect in November 2016 and Japan became asignatory later in the month.
*7 Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
The CCAC, officially, Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, wasestablished in 2012 with the objective of reducing emissions of SLCPs. The CCAC supports countries intheir efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the global warming control
targets in the Paris Agreement by taking an integrated approach to improving both climate change and air
quality. (Ref. Climate & Clean Air Coalition https://ccacoalition.org/en)*8 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 by the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with theobjective of conducting comprehensive assessments of human-caused climate change and its implications aswell as adaptation and mitigation measures from scientific, technological, and socioeconomic perspectives.
*9 Pontifical Academy of Sciences
The history of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences began as the Academy of the Lynxes, founded in Romein 1603 by Federico Cesi and others. In 1847, Blessed Pope Pius IX reorganized it as the PontificalAcademy of the New Lynxes; and in 1936, during the reign of Pope Pius XI, it took on its current name andorganization. The Academy welcomes, as members, researchers of any nationality or religion who havemade outstanding contributions to the world through scientific research.
(Ref. http://www.pas.va/content/accademia/en/about/history.html)

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Prof. Mohan Munasinghe (Sri Lanka)
Major research achievements and activities
Having earned a PhD in solid state physics and a Master’s degree in development economics in the 1970s,
Professor Munasinghe researched optimal management of environment and natural resources such as energy
and water. He was the Division Chief for Environmental Policy at the World Bank from 1990 to 1995, where
he played a key role shaping policy on environmental economics, climate change and ozone, while developing
the World Bank environmental assessment guidelines. At the 1992 United Nations Rio Earth Summit1, he
presented the sustainable development triangle that formed the basis for the transdisciplinary Sustainomics2
framework. Sustainomics is a practical, step-by-step approach to make development more sustainable, inwhich relevant issues are addressed from three perspectives—the economy, society, and the environment—in
a balanced and harmonized manner. In creating practical strategies for sustainable development, he alsostressed the importance of managing natural resources prudently and effectively, and of successfully
integrating climate change countermeasures into national development strategies by using methods such as the
Action Impact Matrix (AIM)3. In the 1990s, his model of green growth was applied in several countries.
Based on his experiences in conducting and implementing policy research, he published seminal research4 onenvironmental economics, sustainable energy, water resources, digital technology, disasters, urban
environment, and climate change – all contributing to the transdisciplinary approach of Sustainomics andultimately to achieving sustainable development.
After establishing the Munasinghe Institute for Development in 2000, Professor Munasinghe further pursued
his study of the environment, economy and society, and published the basic concept of balanced inclusive
green growth (BIGG)5 in 2012, based on the Sustainomics framework. One outcome of BIGG is that eachcountry should follow the sustainable development path suited to its own level of development -- developed
countries would restrain future natural resource use by making their consumption and production moresustainable without sacrificing their quality of life, while developing countries could grow and reduce poverty
by sustainably increasing consumption and production. Earlier in 2010, at the United Nations, Professor
Munasinghe proposed the idea of Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs)6, which aims to reduce the burden
on the earth’s natural resources by encouraging voluntary goals for consumption in wealthy countries, while
addressing the problems of global poverty and inequality by meeting basic consumption needs in poor
countries. After being discussed at the UN Rio+20 Earth Summit in 2012, the MCG concept was incorporated
into Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)7 andadopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. During 2017-19, he chaired the Presidents Expert
Committee on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision – the national sustainable development strategy based on
BIGG. His paper “Covid19 and sustainable development” in 2020, received much attention for proposing apractical BIGG-based approach to recovery from the pandemic.
Professor Munasinghe was also active in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)8 in the areasof sustainable development and climate change -- serving as lead author in Working Group III (WGIII) of theSecond Assessment Report (1990–1995), Vice Chair and lead author of WGIII in the Third Report (1996–
2001), and finally as IPCC Vice Chair of the Fourth Report (2001-2008). He led the IPCC effort to integratesustainable development into climate change strategy, coordinating the work of multidisciplinary expert teams,

8

who studied and compiled relevant scientific findings. He also led the provision of scientific information for
preparing global agreements, including the 1997 COP 3 Kyoto Protocol9, the 2009 COP 15 Copenhagen
Accord, and the 2015 COP 21 Paris Agreement9. The IPCC was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize10 in2007 “for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and tolay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change.” He has received many otherinternational awards for his work, including decorations and honours from the heads of government of fivecountries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Dominican Republic, France, and Sri Lanka.
In summary, Professor Munasinghe conducted innovative, comprehensive and transdisciplinary research.
Further, he showed leadership in putting those research results into action worldwide for over 40 years inmany fields, including environmental science, environmental economics and policy, sustainable energy andwater, climate change and sustainable development.
Academic and career background1967

Cambridge University, England (BA, MA, Engineering)1969

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (MS, EE, Electrical Engineering)

1973

McGill University, Canada (PhD Solid State Physics)

1975

Concordia University, Canada (MA, Development Economics)

1982-

Honorary Senior Advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka

1991-95 Division Chief for Environment Economics and Policy, World Bank, USA
1996-02 Senior Advisor for Sustainable Development, World Bank, USA
2000-

Founder Chairman, Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND), Sri Lanka

2001-08 Vice Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
2017-19 Chairman, Presidential Expert Commission on Sustainable Sri Lanka 2030 Vision report9Notes:*1 United Nations Rio Earth Summit
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was a UN conference heldin Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 on the themes of environment and development. It is also known as the
Earth Summit. At this conference, the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on
Biological Diversity became open for signature.
*2 Sustainomics
Sustainomics is a framework for making development more sustainable, characterized by beingtransdisciplinary, integrative, comprehensive, heuristic, balanced, and practical. The basic principle is tomake ongoing or future development efforts more sustainable in practical ways, by harmonizing the
economy, environment and society. Sustainomics is a term that Professor Munasinghe has popularizedsince 1992.
(Source: MIND website, http://www.mohanmunasinghe.com/default.cfm)*3 Action Impact Matrix (AIM)The AIM is a method to better understand the inter-linkages that exist among seemingly independent
elements such as, macro-economic policies, key vulnerability and adaptation areas, and climate change. As
shown in the example matrix, usually, the row headings include development goals and policies, while
column headings include the areas most vulnerable to climate change. This method has been in use since
the early 1990s, linking macroeconomic policies to the environment.
(Source: MIND Technical Report, May 2005)

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*4 Seminal Research
Among 100+ books and 350+ articles published over 40 years, selected seminal monographs in key areas
contributing to the multidisciplinary approach of Sustainomics, include:
1979 The Economics of Power System Reliability and Planning (John Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore)1983 Energy Economics, Demand Management and Conservation Policy (Van Nostrand Reinhold, NY)
1989 Computers and Informatics in Developing Countries (Butterworths, London – Third World Academyof Science, Italy)
1992 Water Supply and Environmental Management (Westview Press, Boulder, CO)1992 Environmental Management and Urban Vulnerability (World Bank, Wash. DC)
1993 Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development (World Bank Env. Paper 3, Wash.DC)
1995 Disaster Prevention for Sustainable Development (UN Int. Decade for Disaster Reduction, NY, andWorld Bank, Wash,DC)
1995 Property Rights in a Social and Ecological Context (Beijer International Inst. Stockholm and World
Bank, Wash, DC)
2002 Macroeconomics and the Environment (Elgar Ref. Collection, Edward Elgar Pub. Cheltenham, UK)2005 Primer on Climate Change & Sustainable Development (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK)2019 Sustainability in the 21st Century: Applying Sustainomics to Implement the SDG (Cambridge Univ.
Press, Cambridge, UK)*5 Balanced inclusive green growth (BIGG)
The BIGG concept was presented by Professor Munasinghe at the 2012 UN Earth Summit. In the figure,rich nations at point C (who exceed safe limits) should reduce environmental burdens by decarbonizationand other measures to reach point E. Emerging nations at point B should learn from the past, innovate andavoid exceeding safe limits, going through the Green Growth (GG) tunnel to reach point E, without
passing point C. The BIGG path is also pro-poor and inclusive, thus harmonizing the sustainable
development triangle: economy, environment and society.

11*6 Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs)
The MCGs make the path of development more sustainable, by calling for responsible behaviour from theworld’s richest 1.4 billion people who consume almost 85% of global output. The MCGs are notobligatory targets, but are standards to be achieved through voluntary actions of consumers and producers,
supported by government policies.
*7 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The SDG are international goals for the period from 2016-2030 stated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, adopted at the 2015 UN Summit. They consist of 17 comprehensive goals and 169 specifictargets to achieve a sustainable world, and are characterized by a pledge to leave no one on earth behind.
*8 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the objective of conducting comprehensive assessments ofhuman-caused climate change and its implications as well as adaptation and mitigation measures fromscientific, technological, and socioeconomic perspectives.
*9 Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement
The Kyoto Protocol established concrete rules based on the Framework Convention on Climate Change,
developed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The Kyoto Protocol set targets, until 2020, for measures tocombat global warming and mandated that developed countries (excluding the United States) meet theirgreenhouse gas emissions targets, but it did not regulate emissions in developing countries. The Paris
Agreement is a new international framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the post-2020
period. Although all countries, including both developed and developing countries, are required to submit
targets under the Agreement, they are not obliged to achieve the targets.
*10 Nobel Peace Prize
The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), and Albert Gore, former Vice President of the United States. The IPCC issued its Fourth
Assessment Report on climate change in 2007, the year when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It
took six years to prepare the report, with contributions from over 130 countries: including 450 lead authors,
800 contributing authors, and 2,500 expert reviewers.

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