Prinz William hat einen Preis ins Leben gerufen, der innerhalb der nächsten 10 Jahre Anreize für positive Veränderungen schaffen soll, um unsere rasant absterbende (Um)Welt zu retten solange wir es noch können.

Vorbild ist die von J.F. Kennedy iniziierte “Moonshot” Idee, durch die die Realisierung der Mondlandung stark vorangetrieben wurde.
Analog soll der Earthshot Prize positive Veränderungen für die Umwelt beschleunigen.

Zwischen 2021 und 2030 werden jedes Jahr 5 Gewinner mit dem Earthshot Prize ausgezeichnet, der jeweils mit 1 Million Pfund datiert ist.
Ausgezeichnet werden Lösungen auf Umweltprobleme, die auf allen Ebenen funktionieren und wesentlich zur positiven (und “enkeltauglichen”) Veränderung der Welt beitragen.

“Die Erde befindet sich an einem Wendepunkt. Wir stehen vor einer schwerwiegenden Wahl: Entweder wir machen so weiter wie bisher und schädigen unseren Planeten irreparabel, oder wir erinnern uns an unsere einzigartige Macht als menschliche Wesen und an unsere fortwährende Fähigkeit zur Führung, zur Innovation und zur Problemlösung. Menschen können Großes erreichen. Die nächsten zehn Jahre stellen uns vor eine unserer größten Bewährungsproben – ein Jahrzehnt der Aktion zur Wiederherstellung der Erde.”

Prince William

Bisherige Gewinner

2021 in London, UK

• AEM Electrolyser (Thailand / Germany / Italy)
  “Too often industry, heating and transport are still powered by fossil fuels. AEM Electrolysers offer an alternative: emission-free green hydrogen.”
• Coral Vita (Bahamas)
  “Climate change, pollution and overfishing are set to destroy over 90% of reefs by 2050. Coral Vita grows coral on land to replant in oceans.”
• Republic of Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
  “In the 1990s, the vast forests of Costa Rica were devastated by unregulated exploitation. But Costa Rica’s government had a plan to save them.”
• Takachar (India)
  “Globally, we generate $120 billion of agricultural waste every year, which is often burnt. Takachar’s technology massively reduces these emissions.”
• The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs (Italy)
  “A third of food produced globally is wasted, meanwhile hundreds of millions suffer from food insecurity. The City of Milan’s Food Waste Hubs tackle both problems.”

2022 in Boston, USA

• 44.01 (Oman)
  “According to the UN, removing CO2 is essential if we are to limit global warming. Oman-based 44.01 removes CO2 permanently by mineralising it in rock.”
• Indigenous Women of The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
  “The Great Barrier Reef is under constant environmental threat. Now, the Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef are empowering each other to protect critical ecosystems.”
• Kheyti (India)
  “Eight in ten of the world’s farmers are smallholders. Beset by climate-affected harvests, Kheyti’s Greenhouse-in-a-Box is helping them reduce climate risk and increase yields.”
• Mukuru Clean Stoves (Kenya)
  “Across Africa, 700 million people use traditional cookstoves, which emit harmful chemicals and lack safeguards. Mukuru Clean Stoves are different.”
• Notpla (UK)
  “6.3bn tonnes of untreated plastic waste currently litter our streets and fill our seas. Notpla shows us that the future is not plastic, it’s seaweed.”

2023 in Singapore

• Acción Andina (The Andes Mountains)
  “Acción Andina is a grassroots, community-based initiative working across South America to protect native high Andean forest ecosystems for their invaluable benefits to nature and millions of people in the region.”
• GRST (Hong Kong, China)
  “With the development of a new way to build and recycle vital lithium-ion batteries, GRST‘s solution offers a pathway to make the electric cars of the future even cleaner.”
• Wildaid Marine Program (Global)
  “Global non-profit organisation WildAid scales marine enforcement to end illegal fishing and strengthen ocean conservation.”
• S4S Technologies (India)
  “S4S Technologies’ solar-powered dryers and processing equipment combats food waste, enabling small-hold farmers to preserve crops and turn produce that might otherwise go to waste into valuable products.”
• Boomitra (Global)
  “Boomitra are removing emissions and boosting farmer profits by incentivising soil restoration and the adoption of regenerative agriculture through a verified carbon-credit marketplace.”

2024 in Cape Town, South Africa

Der Earthshot-Prize wird im November 2024 in Cape Town verliehen.