Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate change, has received an award from the Nobel Sustainable Trust Foundation for his contribution to tackling climate change and promoting sustainable development, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The veteran climate diplomat extended his gratitude to the foundation for honoring him with the first special contribution award for sustainable development, which is the world's highest award in the area of sustainable development, via a video link on Tuesday, the ministry said in a media release on Wednesday.

"The honor is recognition of the achievements China has made over years of efforts to cope with climate change and promote sustainable development," Xie, 73, was quoted as saying in the release.

As China forged ahead with promoting development, improving people's livelihoods, alleviating poverty and enhancing environmental protection in the past decades, the country has proved with its practices that protecting the environment and tackling climate change don't have to hinder economic development, he said.

Instead, the efforts help cultivate new drivers of growth and enhance the quality and efficiency of development, he stressed.

Xie called for contributions from different walks of life, especially the youth, to boost green, low-carbon transition and innovation, as well as to promote eco-friendly ways of production and life.

"I will keep contributing to sustainable development to the best of my ability," he noted.

He said he will donate all the money that accompanies the award to support sustainable programs for the public good, without disclosing the specific amount.

In 2017, he was awarded the LUI Che Woo Prize, an international cross-sector award for advancing world civilization and inspiring people to build a more harmonious world, in the sustainability category.

He donated the HK$20 million ($2.55 million) he got from the award to Tsinghua University Education Foundation.

A well-known advocate of action to forestall the climate crisis, Xie was appointed as China's special envoy for climate change in 2021.The appointment marked his return to climate diplomacy, a job and passion to which he had been dedicated for over a decade.

Xie led the Chinese delegation in global climate negotiations from 2007 to 2018, during which China joined the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.