Activist who fought for legal rights for Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon wins ‘Green Nobel’

By DORANY PINEDA
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A professor who helped save Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon is one of this year’s winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize, known as the “Green Nobel.” The prize honors grassroots environmental activists and leaders around the world for their efforts to protect the natural world. Among the seven winners announced Monday is philosophy of law professor Teresa Vicente, who led a campaign to save Spain’s Mar Menor saltwater lagoon from ecosystem collapse due to pollution. Her efforts led to passage of a law in 2022 granting the lagoon the legal right to conservation, protection and damage remediation.