Sheila Watt-Cloutier wins 'alternative Nobel'

Inuit leader Sheila Watt-Cloutieris one of three winners of the 2015 Right Livelihood Awards for her work on climate change in the Arctic.

The organization cited "her lifelong work to protect the Inuit of the Arctic and defend their right to maintain their livelihoods and culture, which are acutely threatened by climate change."

The awards,dubbed the 'alternativeNobels,' includea$475,000 cash prize thatWatt-Cloutierwill share with thetwo other recipients.

"Receiving the Right Livelihood Award is a heartfelt honour which I humbly accept," said Watt-Cloutier. "I am truly grateful to be recognized for such a prestigious award at a time when our common troubled atmosphere and our challenged planet is crying out for action from global leaders."

She added, "The meaning I take from this, is that my ongoing life's work on protecting Inuit culture and the Arctic's environment as it relates to the rest the world is timeless."

The other two recipients of the prize are Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera of Uganda, who was recognizedfor her work on gay rights and sexual minorities in Uganda, andItalian surgeon Gino Stradafor providing medical assistance to victims of war.

Watt-Cloutier has been recognised with several honours including the 2004 United Nations Environment Programme's Champion of the Earth Award, the Governor General's Northern Medal in 2005 and the Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006. Two Norwegian MPs nominated her alongside former US Vice President Al Gore for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, a prize she did not win.

Watt-Cloutieristhe author of The Right to be Cold: One Woman's Story of Protecting Her Culture, the Arctic, and the Whole Planet, published in March of this year.

OriginallyfromNunavik inNorthern Quebec, shecurrently lives in Montreal.