30 June 2000
Award For Commissioner Goldemberg
WCD Commissioner José Goldemberg is one of this year's recipients of the Volvo Environment Prize for 2000

Professor José Goldemberg, one of twelve members of the World Commission on Dams, was awarded The Volvo Environment Prize for 2000, making him the third WCD Commissioner recognised by global institutions for his work on sustainable development in recent months.

Goldemberg won the prize jointly with Dr. Thomas B. Johansson (Sweden), Professor Amulya K. N. Reddy (India) and Dr. Robert H. William (USA).

Goldemberg, a professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, was the chairman and CEO of the Energy Company of the State of São Paulo. He has served as Rector of his University, and Secretary of Science and Technology for the Federal Government of Brazil and Minister of Education. He currently serves in senior capacities with the International Energy Initiative and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In awarding, the Volvo Environment Prize noted that:

"Each of them has wide knowledge of the problem and how it affects their individual regions of the world. But they realized that the energy issue could not be resolved by individual efforts. It is global problem. Among other points, they showed that if the developing countries make the same mistakes as the industrialized countries in the energy exploitation area, this would lead to enormous environmental problems. They reasoned that it would be preferable to aim for a technological gain by missing out the intermediate stage and focusing directly on new technology. Jointly, they systematically reviewed the situation and recommended various solutions for providing energy to the peoples of the planet. They have written several books about their work and their theories have made a considerable impression on politicians and scientists throughout the world."

This is the eleventh occasion that the Volvo Environment Prize has been awarded. It was originally established to support research in the environmental area. The Prize, which is worth approximately SEK 1.5M will be awarded to the winners at a special ceremony in Göteborg in October this year.

Professor Kader Asmal, Chair of the World Commission on Dams, said, "This award pays tribute to Professor José Goldemberg and his colleagues from India, Sweden and the USA. Their collaboration exemplifies the vision and commitment of individuals who meet the challenges of development through global partnerships. We have greatly benefited from their work in our own endeavours."

Other Commissioners recently winning awards…

In May, Commissioner Medha Patkar, head of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada River) was recognised as an activist 'Hero of the Planet' in a special issue of Time Magazine for her work in the Narmada Valley of India. http://www.time.com/time/reports/planet/index.html.

In April, Chairman of the Commission Professor Kader Asmal, South Africa's Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry under Nelson Mandela and now Education Minister, won the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize 2000 for overhauling water supply and use from apartheid-era white favouritism to a sustainable and egalitarian policy of "some water for all, forever."