Malin Falkenmark and Brian Walker win the 2018 Blue Planet Prize

Long time centre senior researchers Malin Falkenmark and Brian Walker have been awarded the Blue Planet Prize for 2018. The award goes to individuals or organizations that make "outstanding achievements in scientific research and in so doing help to solve global environmental problems."

Falkenmark is celebrated for her efforts to put pressing water challenges on the global policy agenda. "Her novel ideas, such as seeing water as the bloodstream of the biosphere, and her wide-ranging activities for making the world more sustainable, have had an enormous impact on today’s thinking for solving environmental problems," the award nomination reads.

Walker is praised for his work on developing resilience thinking and how it has become a fundamental concept in areas such as environmental conservation, economics, sustainable development and disaster prevention policy. "Inspired by his research and leadership, studies on sustainability and resilience have expanded tremendously," the nomination reads.

Falkenmark and Walker will receive a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy and a supplementary award of 50 million yen. The awards ceremony will be held 10 October 2018 in Tokoyo followed by two lectures at the United Nations University 11 October.

The international environmental award is sponsored by the Asahi Glass Foundation. Previous winners include James Hansen (2010), Jane Lubchenco (2011), Jeffrey D. Sachs (2015) and Gretchen C. Daily (2017).