Previous Year Question

The Global 500 Roll of Honour was a prestigious environmental recognition associated with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEP launched the Global 500 Award in 1987 to honour individuals and organizations that had made outstanding contributions to the protection, improvement and conservation of the environment. According to an official UN record, by 1998, 664 individuals and organizations had already been honoured.

The award was not restricted to one narrow field such as gene preservation or pollution control. It recognized a wide range of environmental achievements, including wildlife conservation, forest protection, environmental education, sustainable development, pollution reduction and ecosystem restoration.

Prominent Global 500 laureates included Jacques Cousteau, Jane Goodall, Jimmy Carter, WWF, Chico Mendes and Indian environmentalist Anil Agarwal. Official UN releases from 2000 and 2001 list these among notable past winners.

Thus, Gene preservation and Pollution control may fall within environmental work, but the broader field for which the award was given was Environment conservation/protection.