Prince William’s Earthshot Prize has been creating quite the buzz with its ambitious and effective mission to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental crises. As it prepares for the next awards ceremony, it keeps raking in all the awesome publicity. Still, this creative program addresses urgent needs that our planet encounters in real-time. It does the opposite — making a 10-year, £50 million commitment to inspire and reward people who have the greatest positive impact on the world.
The Earthshot Prize encompasses five distinct categories: Revive our Oceans, Fix our Climate, Build a Waste-free World, Protect and Restore Nature, and Clean our Air. Each category focuses on rewarding the most innovative and impactful projects that will make the biggest difference.
Since its launch, the Earthshot Prize has celebrated thousands of innovative solutions from every corner of the world. The City of Bogotá, Colombia, just completed an incredible 24 percent reduction in fine particulate matter. Undoubtedly, much of this success is due to their recent expansion of a fleet of electric buses. Likewise, Gujarat, India, has led the way in developing an emissions trading scheme specifically targeted to cap factory emissions. In Sydney, Australia, the Quay Quarter Tower recently became the world’s first upcycled skyscraper. By opting for refurbishment rather than demolition, it avoided a phenomenal 12,000 tonnes of carbon!
Together they represent hopeful solutions and ambitious ideas that have moved our planet closer to an environmentally sustainable future. And they have really done it—protecting and restoring more than a million square kilometers of land and ocean. On top of that, they’ve kept more than 250,000 tonnes of waste out of landfills. Together, these projects have reduced, avoided or captured more than 4.8 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions. They exemplify the amazing impact that creative thinking can have in the battle against climate change.
Other notable finalists include ATRenew, a China-based company that leverages artificial intelligence to inspect, grade and price up to 100,000 electronic devices per day. The other international finalist is Matter, a UK firm that developed Regen®, a microplastic filter to prevent harmful microplastics from polluting oceans in washing machine effluent. Lagos Fashion Week in Nigeria is already taking the lead, requiring designers to use sustainable materials and processes. This strong requirement is groundbreaking in its ambition and what it expects from the industry.
While we celebrate this year’s Earthshot Prize winners for their creative ingenuity, their inventive solutions remind us that we must act collectively and urgently. Jason Knauf, a spokesperson for the initiative, stated:
“The Earthshot Prize was founded because we’re in a decisive moment – it’s a ten-year window of opportunity where our actions today will shape life on Earth for generations to come.”
Prince William hopes this decade can become our greatest success story yet— humanity’s greatest success story yet. He stresses the importance of acting quickly to get it done. Reflecting on his own family’s future, he remarked:
“Back then, a decade felt a long time. George was seven, Charlotte five and Louis two; the thought of them in 2030 felt a lifetime away. But today, as we stand halfway through this critical decade, 2030 feels very real.”
He further elaborated on the significance of 2030 for future generations:
“2030 is a threshold by which future generations will judge us; it is the point at which our actions, or lack of them, will have shaped forever the trajectory of our planet.”
The Earthshot Prize celebrates transformative solutions to repair our planet. Most importantly, it challenges global citizens to improve their own habits and consumption practices. Cate Blanchett, an advocate for the prize, articulated her pride in this year’s finalists:
“What I’m especially proud of this year is the way in which entire categories of Finalists are challenging our expected views and behaviours – the way we enjoy fashion, how we buy electronics, protect forests – even wash our clothes – could be fundamentally different by 2030 because of them.”
All of the finalists have showed extraordinary dedication, innovative thinking. Their efforts elevate the collective work of changemakers in cities and communities globally, stressing the urgency and inspiring action worldwide. As Prince William emphasized:
“The people behind these projects are heroes of our time, so let us back them.”
