Goldman Prize Honors Environmental Activists Who Risk Their Lives

Goldman Prize Honors Environmental Activists¹ Who Risk Their Lives

The Goldman Environmental Foundation recognized six environmental activists this week. They are winners of the 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize, also known as the “Green Nobel.” It honors ordinary men and women who take great risks to protect the natural environment. They are often community leaders from small villages or areas that lack financial resources.

Liberia

Alfred Brownell, a lawyer from Liberia, is one of the prize winners. The foundation says that, in 2011, he noted² severe damage to a tropical rain forest in his country. The Upper Guinean forest is home to many kinds of animals and an important place for carbon, which is stored in plants. The Goldman Environmental Foundation has called Liberia’s forests “the lungs of West Africa.”

Alfred Brownell found that machines were taking down trees. Water was becoming polluted. Even some burial grounds were getting destroyed.

Brownell blamed the damage on a company that signed a deal with Liberia’s government to develop palm oil operations on the land. He also blamed the government officials who supported the project. In answer, he worked with people in the community to object formally. Their efforts forced the company to stop work. In time, they saved about 50 square kilometers of forest, along with some of the elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses³ and other animals that live there.

Alfred Brownell and community members clashed⁴ repeatedly with company officials and police over the issue. Brownell and his family have since fled Liberia. They now live in the United States.

Yet his work has had an ongoing⁵ effect in Liberia. The palm oil farm’s developers say they are trying to improve land-clearing practices. And an official in the current government says Liberia has stopped permitting businesses from expanding into the country until all the international requirements are met.

Chile

Another 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize winner is Alberto Curamil. He is part of the Mapuche community, a group of people who have historically lived in central Chile. Many depend on rivers in the area to earn their money. The group considers the rivers holy.

But a few years ago, the Chilean government moved to build large hydroelectric projects on the rivers. Officials planned to work with two private companies to control the water flowing in the rivers and use it to make energy instead. The plan risked damaging the native plants and animals.

In answer, Curamil organized a large protest and legal campaign. He brought together native peoples, environmental groups, researchers and others. Their efforts persuaded the government to cancel both projects.

Last year, Chilean police arrested Curamil for suspected criminal activity. He remains⁶ in jail.

United States

And in the United States, Linda Garcia worked to stop plans to build an oil export terminal in her community. Garcia lives near the Pacific Ocean, in the western state of Washington. Businesses wanted to send oil, coal and natural gas on trains through a river valley to her town. From there, ships could export the fuels overseas.

But Garcia worried the plan would damage the river valley and create more air pollution. She was also concerned about possible explosions a train accident would cause.

Garcia was not physically⁷ well and faced opposition⁸ to her ideas. But she joined with private citizens and government officials to launch a campaign against the plan. Their efforts brought attention to the environmental effects of the proposal. In January last year, the developers were forced to cancel the project.

The other Goldman Environmental Prize winners are from North Macedonia, Mongolia and the Cook Islands. Together, they have helped protect endangered animals and sea creatures.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

ordinary - adj. normal or usual : not unusual, different, or special

tropical rain forest - adj. a tropical forest that receives a lot of rain and that has very tall trees

lungs - n. the two organs that people and animals use to breathe air

practice - n. something that is done often or regularly

terminal - n. a building where buses or trains regularly stop

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 hippopotamuses   

n.河马（产于非洲）( hippopotamus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hippopotamuses teem in this river. 这条河里有很多河马。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 clashed   

发出撞击声（clash的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The color of the curtains clashed with the color of the carpet. 窗帘的颜色与地毯的颜色不协调。
• Her wedding clashed with my examination, so I couldn't go. 她的婚礼与我的考试冲突，因此我无法参加。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。