The Nobel Sustainability Trust (NST) has honored Xie Zhenhua, Special Envoy for Climate Change at China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Collin O’Mara, CEO of American conservation organization National Wildlife Federation and Chinese-American entrepreneur and Asia Times’ shareholder Dr Bruno Wu for their outstanding contributions to sustainability.
NST, a Swiss-based foundation founded in 2007 by members of the Nobel family, works independently of the Nobel Foundation which manages the traditional Nobel Prize awards. The Sustainability Awards recognize leadership by a deliberate approach to accelerating the global adoption of sustainability and sustainable solutions.
This year’s awards were bestowed at a February 22 ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden.
Wu is chairman and CEO of Sun Seven Stars Investment Group of China and founder of Giga Carbon Neutrality (GCN), a green technology company headquartered in London, New York and Beijing.
GCN’s core mission is to enable and accelerate the process of carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality via a lineup of new energy commercial equipment including heavy trucks, buses, logistics vehicles and specialized industrial and agricultural equipment.
GCN is also a service provider in the application of these new energy commercial equipment to promote the carbon credit chain ecosystem and V2X (vehicle-to-everything) applications by utilizing proprietary OS and chips.
The company’s stated vision is to become a global leader in green intelligent commercial vehicles driven by an “AI Internet of Things (AIoT)”-powered operating system.
Wu also founded the World Carbon Neutrality Council, a public service organization. GCN is a corporate leader in global efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the key commercial-vehicle sector.
Xie’s award was bestowed in acknowledgment of his outstanding contributions in the field of world climate change as well as building global cooperation in sustainable development.
The NST’s Outstanding Contribution in Sustainability award to O’Mara honors his outstanding efforts and contributions to conservation and climate change for several years.
In a press release announcing the awards last year, the Nobel Sustainability Trust wrote, “Dr Wu has a long-standing commitment to global sustainability, having founded the World Carbon Neutral Council in 2021 with several former heads of state, including Mr. Bertie Ahern [former prime minister of Ireland].”
NST added that “GCN, a company founded by Dr Wu, is a global leader in innovative technology in the field of carbon-neutral technology. Its vision is to realize and accelerate the transformation of commercial transportation from fossil fuels to next-generation green power to achieve carbon neutrality.”
Wu is married to prominent Chinese journalist and talk show host Ms. Yang Lan. She was highlighted in Forbes magazine’s 2013 list of the world’s 100 most powerful women.
Speaking at the Nobel ceremony, Wu said, “To evoke and sustain a planetary transformation of our mindset, lifestyle and industries, we commit ourselves to a common mission that transcends geopolitical and ideological differences.
“This great endeavor requires a comprehensive collaboration between the public, the private sector, and governments. The first recipients of the Nobel sustainability trust medals are representative in this regard—we have an American civic leader, a Chinese government envoy, and myself, a Chinese-American businessman, striving together for a shared cause.
“I sincerely hope every country will collaborate and contribute to this goal. After all, we only have one planet and therefore must learn to come together to safeguard our common future. The obstacles will be immense, but we shall always remember that a river cuts through a rock not because of its power but because of its persistence, to quote from James Watkins and a Chinese proverb.”