The first Earthshot Prize winners were announced Sunday at a star-studded event at London’s Alexandra Palace.
Supported by the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earthshot Prize will be awarded annually until 2030 – the target year for the UN Global Goals to be achieved.
“Our Finalists all give us hope which, we are told, springs eternal. But we don’t have eternity. We need to do this now. And over the next ten years, if we all put our minds to it, I believe we can,” said Sir David Attenborough, Earthshot Prize Council Member
The awards focus on five Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix our Climate. All solutions must be ‘rooted in science’ and able to ‘generate new ways of thinking, as well as new technologies, systems, policies and solutions’.
“The winners will each receive £1 million to support their work,” Prince William said, with all finalists set to receive tailored support from the Earthshot Prize Global Alliance to help them ‘scale their solutions and grow their leadership’.
Here are the finalists for each Earthshot, with the winners in bold:
Protect and Restore Nature
Pole Pole Foundation, Democratic Republic of Congo, for its work protecting the Congo basin, to fight climate change
(w) The Republic of Costa Rica, for its system of conservation areas designed to protect 6% of the world’s biodiversity.
Restor, Switzerland, labelled a ‘google maps for restoration’ that supports anyone across the globe who is managing biodiversity
Clean Our Air
Blue Mapp App, China, – tracks the air, water quality and millions of emitters across China
(w) Takachar, India, is converting waste into fertilisers.
Vinisha Umashankar, India, the solar ironing cut, it replaces charcoal with solar energy; and with the solar ironing card ironing vendors can earn more and save more.
Revive our Oceans
(w) Coral Vita, Bahamas, is reviving oceans by growing climate change resilient corals.
Living Sea Walls, Australia, is returning marine life to marine built structures.
Pristine Seas (National Geographic), USA, is creating marine protected areas with the goal to protect at least 30% of ocean by 2030.
Build a Waste-Free World
(w) City of Milan Food Waste Hubs, initiatives to reduces food waste.
Sanergy, Kenya, is building a waste-free world by producing insect protein and organic fertiliser from organic and sanitation waste to clean up fast-growing cities.
Wota Box, Japan, a technology succesful in recycling 98% of wastewater for reuse.
Fix our Climate
(w) AEM Electrolyser, global, is turning electricity from the sun and wind into emission-free green hydrogen.
Reeddi Capsules, Nigeria, pioneers technology that makes clean and affordable electricity easily accessible.
Solbazaar, Bangaldesh, is an energy exchange platform integrating ict infrastructure and IoT devices allowing for affordable access to clean energy in remote areas.
