Earthshot Awards announces this year's winners shaping a greener, cleaner future
Britain's Prince William said in Cape Town on Wednesday night that Africa is a “center of creativity and innovation that solves some of the planet's toughest environmental challenges.”
He was speaking at a star-studded event to announce the five winners of this year's Earthshot Prize, which was broadcast live in 50 African countries.
This is the fourth annual Earthshot Awards ceremony and the first to be held in South Africa. This year's winners will be chosen from a pool of 15 finalists and each will be awarded £1 million to “accelerate and scale up innovative environmental solutions”.
“When I founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, my ambition was to champion the spirit of ingenuity that landed humans on the moon within a decade,” William said. He spoke, referring to former US President John F. Kennedy's moonshot, which rallied millions of people. The goal is to reach the moon.
“Our purpose has been to find solutions that will repair our planet and offer real hope for the future. We have spent this decade working to change the world for the better, one root solution at a time We hope to change this in 10 years.”
The Earthshot Prize encourages innovative solutions that help put the world on track for a stable climate in which “communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030” and is intended to expand.
William said he came up with the idea during a trip to Namibia and Tanzania, where he saw “some of the amazing wildlife that calls this continent home” and learned about the impact local people have on their surrounding environment. He said he was shocked.
“Thanks to their ingenuity and creativity, biodiversity has returned, animals have been protected and jobs have been created.
“I am amazed at how much time, talent and vision people are devoting to solving environmental problems, yet they are not getting the support they need to scale up their solutions and accelerate their deployment around the world. “I’ve seen it firsthand,” he said.
“But we believe our world is full of possibility, hope, and optimism. That's why the Earthshot Prize exists. We champion change-makers, inventors, makers, creators, and leaders. We will help them build on the amazing things they have already accomplished, accelerate and scale innovation, and inspire the next generation to create the future we all need. ”
He pointed out that although the African continent contributes the least to global warming, it is one of the continents most susceptible to its effects.
“Since we started, we have received over 5,000 nominations, and each of those solutions tells a story of hope and possibility. In 2024 alone, we will have nearly 400 people here in Africa. “Each of these solutions should be seen as a reminder that Africa is a center of creativity and innovation that solves some of the planet's toughest environmental challenges,” William said.
The Earthshot Award winners are:
Fix our climate: Advanced thermovoltaic systemwe
We develop simple, safe and scalable technologies to recover waste heat and convert it into electricity, providing innovative solutions for heavy industries such as cement and steel production. These industries require very high temperatures and generate large amounts of waste heat that would normally be lost. ATS technology has the potential to save gigatons of carbon dioxide.
Let's restore our oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People
The High Ambition Coalition, a ground-breaking alliance of 119 countries with an ambitious goal of protecting 30% of land and oceans by 2030, identifies technological, financial and knowledge gaps to help governments and connect them with technical assistance and funding.
A major milestone has already been achieved with the adoption of the 30×30 target in the 2022 United Nations Global Biodiversity Framework.
Building a lean world: KEEP IT COOLKenya
Keep IT Cool addresses the challenge of food spoilage by providing a sustainable and localized service.
A refrigeration system that helps small farmers and fishermen preserve their produce.
By installing solar-powered cold storage where fish are landed, KIC has significantly reduced
Reduce spoilage and waste by ensuring the freshness of your catch and managing its transport to market.
With plans to expand into East Africa and other regions, KIC is currently working on expanding its activities in the poultry, fruit and vegetable sector and aims to bring its solutions to more communities .
Protect and restore nature: Altyn Dara Conservation InitiativeKazakhstan
The Altyn Dara Conservation Initiative has achieved an almost unprecedented feat in saving the critically endangered saiga antelope from extinction. The mission has grown into one of the world's largest conservation projects, focusing on the protection and restoration of Kazakhstan's Golden Steppe, one of the world's least protected natural ecosystems.
Let's clean our air: green africa youth organization (Gayo), Ghana
As a youth-led, gender-balanced organization, GAYO leverages a 'Zero Waste Model' to drive its work.
Behavioral change in waste management practices across Africa will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and particulate pollution while generating additional income.
Their goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and particulate pollution in Ghana by 70% compared to open burning, and divert a total of 4,000 tonnes of waste by 2030. GAYO's expansion plans will make it a leading model for waste management. on the continent.
