
Prince William called for “all parts of society — to raise their ambition and unite in repairing our planet.”
Five climate change campaigners won £1m each of what reports describe as ‘the most prestigious global environment prize in history’.
The Earthshot Prize awards has been set up by the Duke of Cambridge through his Royal Foundation to reward individuals, organizations, or countries working to find solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental problems over the next 10 years.
Apart from the money, the winners will also be backed by “professional and technical support” to scale up their innovations.
The first of these annual awards was held at a glitzy ceremony at Alexandra Palace, London. Prince William was joined by stars including Emma Watson, Dame Emma Thompson and David Oyelowo.
The judges panel, which comprised broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, actress Cate Blanchett and singer Shakira, chose the winners from a shortlist of 15.
Winners
Costa Rica picked up the award for restoration and protection of nature after it paid local citizens to protect and restore rainforests and local ecosystems. The prize committee said the scheme has already helped reverse decades of deforestation.
Indian organization Takachar’s innovation bagged the Clear Our Air award for creating a portable machine that attaches to tractors and reduces smoke emissions by up to 98% while converting the residue into fertilisers.
Bahamas based Coral Vita won the Revive Our Oceans award for its ingenious coral regrowth method of growing it first on land and then replanting it on depleted underwater reefs.
The Fix Our Climate award went to a Thai, German and Italian group for creating a AEM Electrolyser – a technology that turns renewable electricity into emission-free hydrogen gas. It scooped the prize under the Fix our Climate category.
Milan won the Build a Waste-free World accolade for its “Food Hubs” initiative that helps tackle food waste in the city by collecting unused food from restaurants and supermarkets and distributing it to the needy.
The different categories for the awards were based on the five UN’s Sustainable Development Goals — restoration and protection of nature, air cleanliness, ocean revival, waste-free living and climate action.
‘Unite in repairing our planet’
In a recorded message played at the ceremony, Prince William said: “We are alive in the most consequential time in human history — the actions we choose or choose not to take in the next 10 years will determine the fate of the planet for the next thousand.
“A decade doesn’t seem long, but humankind has an outstanding record of being able to solve the unsolvable.”
He continued: “Many of the answers are already out there… but we need everyone — from all parts of society — to raise their ambition and unite in repairing our planet.
“The future is ours to determine. And if we set our minds to it, nothing is impossible.”
Praising all 15 of the Earthshot finalists for giving the world hope, Attenborough said:
“The natural world on which we entirely depend is declining at a rate faster than at any time since the end of the dinosaurs.
“We know where this story is heading and we must now write a different ending. This is what The Earthshot Prize was created to achieve.
“The 15 Earthshot Prize Finalists tonight build optimism by finding innovative and brilliant solutions to the world’s challenges, and they give us hope, which, we are told, springs eternal.”
Share this story: William’s Earthshot Prize grants £1m to five climate campaigners.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Vegan Nottingham student creates budget-friendly oat milk machine to reduce carbon footprint and combat rising prices
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 30th May 2023
The invention is sustainable and cost-effective. A vegan undergraduate studying product design at Nottingham Trent University has developed a container that can help people create their own oat milk at home for just 20 pence per litre. “Oatilicious,” provides significant cost savings compared to store-bought oat milk for up to £2.20 per carton. The innovative …
Bear Grylls ’embarrassed’ by past vegan diet promotes meat, blood, and bone marrow for better health
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 15th May 2023
“I’ve tried to listen to my body more, tried to listen to nature, and I don’t miss vegetables at all. I don’t go near them, and I’ve never felt stronger, my skin’s never been better, and my gut’s never been better.” Adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has become a die-hard carnivore fan after admitting …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …