Earthshot Prize winners ‘are inspirational’

The five winners of this year’s environmental Earthshot Prize are inspirational and a brilliant advertisement for the battle against climate change.

Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox was commenting after Prince William announced the successful projects in the Museum of Tomorrow at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Prince, who is the Earthshot Prize’s president and who was going on to the UN climate summit, COP30, told the audience of celebrities and world leaders that the winners’ work was “proof that progress is possible.”

Earthshot Prize supports eco-friendly projects from around the world, and annually awards each of the five winners with a £1m grant to support their ideas aimed at repairing the world’s climate.

This year saw nearly 2,500 nominees submitted from 72 countries. Out of them, 15 finalists were selected, from which the five winners were chosen. They were:

Protect and Restore Nature: re.green, in Brazil, is making protecting one of the world’s most important ecosystems, the Atlantic Forest, financially viable.

Clean Our Air: The city of Bogotá, has shown how to bring lasting change, through clean air zones and re-greening degraded areas in the Colombian capital.

Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty is a global ocean initiative to conserve marine life.

Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week, in Nigeria, is redefining the industry, with each designer wishing to showcase required to show their commitment to sustainable practice.

Fix Our Climate: Friendship is dedicated to helping vulnerable communities across Bangladesh in many ways, including access to public services, health, education and preparing for natural disasters.

The Prince of Wales told the audience that when he founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, he committed himself to a 10-year goal to help transform our world for the better. This year in Rio marked the halfway point for the venture.

He wanted to tackle environmental issues head on and to make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth through the five Earthshots or goals: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix Our Climate.

Organisers of the initiative were inspired by former US President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project, which challenged scientists to get astronauts to the Moon and back safely.

Political guests at the ceremony included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

Brazilian football legend Cafu, Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade and former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel were among the award presenters while Kylie Minogue performed a medley of hits.

“I agree with Prince William and the Earthshot Prize organisers that they are building a global legacy,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park. “There seemed extraordinary optimism and a determination that they can help create a better world.”

For those wanting more advice about green energy and fighting climate change call Ron on 0845 474 6641 or go to www.noreus.co.uk.

Caption: This year’s official Earthshot Prize logo.