The Asahi Glass Foundation has awarded the 2014 international Blue Planet Prize to economist Herman Daly of the University of Maryland and ecologist Daniel Janzen of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad of Costa Rica.
The foundation bestowed the award to Daly on Wednesday for his contributions to "steady state economics," which incorporates concepts such as the environment, local communities, quality of life, and ethics in a bid to make economic theory more focused on sustainability.
The prize is awarded to two parties each year. The second recipient consisted of Janzen and the Costa Rican institute. They proposed measures and policies on sustainable development in harmony with local environmental conservation and local inhabitants, as well as working on environmental education and the conservation of biodiversity.
Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko attended the prize ceremony, which was held at the Palace Hotel Tokyo, and the prince delivered a congratulatory message to the recipients.
A total of 620 nominators from Japan and 770 nominators from other countries recommended 119 candidates from fields such as ecology, atmospheric and earth sciences, environmental economics and policy making.
The Blue Planet Prize has been awarded annually since 1992. This year's winners were awarded a certificate of merit, a commemorative trophy and ¥50 million.