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From VOA Learning English, this is Science in the News.

I’m Anna Matteo.

And I’m Christopher Cruise.

Today on the program, we tell about the winners of a major environmentalprize. We also tell about the first amendment of China’s environmentalprotection law since 1989. And we report on a new international agreement toprotect the world’s oceans.

Activists Claim Goldman Environmental Prize

Six environment activists recently received the 2014 Goldman EnvironmentalPrize. The Goldman Prize is presented every year. The $175,000 awardrecognizes people who have struggled against opposition to protect theworld.

One of the six winners is Desmond D’Sa of South Africa. He grew up inDurban and worked in a chemical factory. Gas and oil processing centers,paper mills and chemical factories surrounded his poor, working classneighborhood. Half the 300,000 people who live there have asthma -- adisease affecting their lungs. And, many suffer from cancer.

Desmond D'Sa addresses a meeting of fisherman in Chatsworth, Durban, South Africa. (Goldman Environmental Prize)

An industrial explosion led Desmond D’Sa to organize opposition to expansionof a toxic landfill near his neighborhood. Harmful wastes were left in the area.

Mr. D’Sa describes the effort he organized.

“We have health workshops. We take bucket samples to ensure they knowwhat’s causing all the illnesses. And so we (have) developed the knowledgebase. We have agitated. We have lobbied. We were able for the first time in the history of this country to get the industry bosses to be held accountable for the(ir) actions.”

The landfill was forced to close. The award winner is now fighting plans toexpand the port of Durban. The expansion would increase pollution, anddisplace thousands of people without paying for their land. He is working on this campaign even after threats to his life and property.

“But we’ve shown that as a united force, you can stop environmental racism. And we’ve shown communities that there needs to be a new way of doingbusiness.”

Biologist Rudi Putra of Indonesia is the Goldman Prize winner representingisland nations. The majority of the world’s palm oil grows in those countries. The oil is used in everything from cookies, chocolate and baby food to beautyand soap products.

Palm oil plantations, or farms, are replacing the forests in Sumatra. ThatIndonesian island rates among the planet’s richest in differing ecosystems -- acommunity of organisms and their environment. He has succeeded in gettingvillage chiefs, local officials and the police to join him on his personalcampaign. But he says there is much more to do.

“Recently, we started an international petition against damage to theecosystem, and we got over 1.4 million signatures worldwide, which weresubmitted to the Indonesian government to cancel their plans to develop therainforest here. We are determined to win this battle, too.”

Scientist Suren Gazaryan from Russia represents Europe in the 2014Goldman Awards. He organized a blockade to stop plans by former RussianPresident Dmitry Medvedev to build a home in protected forest land near theBlack Sea. President Vladimir Putin had removed the area’s guarantee of legalprotection to let work on the project continue.

“We started a social media campaign against the project that recruited 10,000people. This showed the public that the very people responsible for creatingthese laws were the first to violate them.”

Suren Gazaryan won that battle. He returned to the Black Sea to fight thebuilding of a summer house for President Putin in a protected old-growthforest. The scientist was falsely accused of threatening security guards, andfled to avoid prison. Today he continues his environmental work in Estonia.

“Looking forward, my main goal is to continue to try to change people’sconsciousness so that they better-understand that nature isn’t something wecan just sell off and get rich on. We have to preserve these places for futuregenerations.”

Other Goldman prize winners include Ramesh Agrawal from India. He begana successful campaign to stop a huge coal mining project in an area alreadyaffected by pollution. He launched the campaign from his small Internet café’.

Ruth Buendia from Peru is another winner. She caused suspension of a workon a dam. The dam would have displaced thousands of native people.

Finally, American lawyer Helen Slottje used her legal knowledge and skills todefend many towns set for gas-drilling operations.

The Goldman Environmental Prize is in its 25th year. Over time, it has beenawarded to 163 activists from 82 countries.

China Amends Environmental Law to Fight Pollution Problems

China’s parliament has passed a measure that observers say will help thecountry fight pollution. The new law increases the actions that environmentalorganizations may take against polluters. The law also identifies geographical“red lines” -- areas that require special protection. And it gives Chineseofficials more power to punish offenders.

Experts say the law will help force government officials and businesses towork for stronger protection of the environment. This marks the first timeChina’s environmental protection law has been amended since 1989.

Lawmaker Xin Chunying says the amendment will have an important effect on the future of China’s environmental protection efforts.

“The revision of the environmental law is a heavy blow (in the fight against) ourcountry’s harsh environmental realities…”

China’s growing economy has lifted hundreds of millions of people out ofpoverty. But the country has suffered heavy environmental damage from itsfast development. Many Chinese are dissatisfied with high levels of air, waterand soil pollution.

The government has said that China places importance on the environment. But for many years, local governments have been judged only on theireconomic performance.

Xu Nan is deputy editor of China Dialogue, a website that watchesenvironmental issues.

“A prominent change in this revision is that the administration of theenvironment has been given a legal framework. Some of the concernsincluded in the law were already somewhat in practice, but now we have alegal framework. This means that in China now there is a stronger and moreofficial system of duty.”

The amendment gives environmental agencies legal power to seize offendingpolluters and demand severe punishment. It states that citizens have the rightto collect information about the environment.

Two years passed before China’s parliament was able to approve themeasure. Lawmakers rejected three earlier versions, a mark of the fiercebattle of interests behind the law. Class action cases against polluters wereone major issue.

The amendment has extended the right to act in environmental cases.Chinese media say now more than 300 organizations can take legal action torepresent those harmed by pollution.

On paper, the changes satisfy a number of demands that have been growingamong China’s civil society. Still, observers say they will watch carefully howthe new rules are enacted.

Xu Nan says this is true for any kind of new legislation in China. She says justgaining official legal guidance is a good step.

Conference Promises to Save the Oceans

Experts on the health of oceans recently called for action to fight climatechange, overfishing, habitat loss and pollution. The experts met in The Hagueat a conference with a very long name: the Global Oceans Action Summit forBlue Growth and Food Security.

The Netherlands served as host country for thesummit. The Netherlands united with summitorganizers and two international agencies to announcea joint effort on ocean health. The two are: the UnitedNations Food and Agriculture Organization, and theWorld Bank.

Valerie Hickey works for the World Bank. She says theconference brought together over 600 people todiscuss how best to support what she called “broad-based blue growth food security.”

“This was about making sure that we can invest in the oceans in a way thatalleviates poverty, that shares broad prosperity, while turning down the heat.”

Ms. Hickey is the World Bank’s sector manager for agriculture andenvironmental services. She says general agreement was possible at theocean summit, unlike many meetings on climate change.

She says summit delegates did not negotiate over the wording of a finalstatement. Instead, she says, the summit was a chance for more than 80officials to promise, in her words, “real action in real time.”

Ms. Hickey said it was not necessary for people to speak only fromgovernment positions. She said the delegates agreed on a three-part plan toprotect the oceans. She said the first part would be to set up partnerships.

“We need to bring in the private sector. We need to increase our investmentsin small- and medium-size enterprises. Because at the end of the day, it’slocal communities, it’s family fishers, it’s small-scale fishers who are going todrive broad-based blue growth in the ocean space.”

She says the delegates also talked about the need to speed up action to makesure they can end illegal, ungoverned and unreported fishing.

The third part of the plan, she says, calls for financing from new places andnew partners to support blue growth programs. Ms. Hickey says she is surethat these suggestions will move from promises to action.

“Absolutely, I can say personally that we, as the World Bank, are committed tofollowing up on the actions that we promised to do after the summit. Itincludes helping countries to undertake natural capital accounting of theirocean resources so they can begin to realize real returns from their oceanassets in a sustainable way.”

Netherlands Agriculture Minister Sharon Dijksma served as chairperson of thesummit. She praised the world community for showing a desire to moveforward and act on ocean health and food security.

This Science in the News was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was based onstories from VOA reporters Joe De Capua, Rosanna Skirble and RebeccaValli.

I’m Anna Matteo.

And I’m Christopher Cruise.

Join us again next week for more news about science on the Voice ofAmerica.