Liberian environmental lawyer Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr. has won a prestigious environmental award alongside fellow recipient Durwood Zaelke, marking a significant recognition of their work in the environmental field and bringing international attention to Liberia’s environmental advocacy efforts.
“Their work demonstrates the power of law, advocacy, and international cooperation to protect people and the natural world and to drive meaningful action on environmental challenges that transcend borders.” —Liliane Haub
The Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy is the world’s most prestigious award in the field of environmental law, recognizing the innovation, skill, and accomplishments of lawyers, diplomats, international civil servants, and other advocates who work to create the world environmental order.
About Alfred Brownell:
“A Liberian environmental lawyer, law professor, and human rights advocate, Alfred Brownell is the Founding President of the Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef), which provides legal support and protection to climate activists and defenders around the world. He previously founded and led Green Advocates International, Liberia’s first public interest environmental law and human rights organization, and has played a central role in advancing environmental justice, community land rights, natural resource governance, and corporate accountability across West Africa.
Today, Brownell is leading efforts to strengthen environmental and climate governance across Africa, including a petition seeking an advisory opinion from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights regarding the legal obligations of African States in responding to the climate crisis and an effort to develop a binding regional environmental rights treaty for Africa, where he serves as the Lead Campaigner for both the African Climate Platform ( ACP) and the Environmental Rights Africa Coalition ( ERA).”
About Durwood Zaelke:
“Durwood Zaelke is founder and President of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) and has played a leading role in strengthening the Montreal Protocol, the landmark international agreement credited with putting the ozone layer on a path toward recovery. His work has focused on maximizing both the ozone and climate benefits of the Protocol, including efforts to accelerate the phaseout of ozone-depleting HCFCs. Building on the success of the Montreal Protocol, Zaelke led IGSD’s eight-year campaign to secure the Kigali Amendment, which phases down HFC refrigerants—powerful greenhouse gases that had been widely adopted as replacements for ozone-depleting substances—and has the potential to avoid up to 0.5°C of warming by 2100.”
