‘Beacon of hope’: The Earthshot Prize winners 2024 revealed in star-studded Cape Town ceremony
The winners of The Earthshot Prize 2024 have been unveiled at a prestigious ceremony celebrating finalists in South Africa.
From a mission restoring Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe to a sustainable refrigeration answer for fishers and farmers in East Africa, the winners of The Earthshot Prize have been revealed.
The worldwide environmental awards have been described as a “beacon of hope” to the planet by Australian conservationist Robert Irwin forward of the announcement on Wednesday night.
“You have a look at the Earthshot finalists and they’re from each nook of the globe, from totally different backgrounds and cultures and they’re all coming collectively for one widespread aim. What an superior factor to get behind.”
South Africa hosted this 12 months’s Earthshot Week and launched the fourth version of the star-studded awards ceremony, which befell in a purpose-built venue beside Cape City Stadiums.
The present opened with an unique pre-recorded efficiency of Lebo M singing ‘Circle of Life’ from ‘The Lion King’ atop Desk Mountain and was hosted by the multi-awarded actor and singer Billy Porter and award-winning tv presenter Bonang Matheba.
Among the many A-list attendees included the Prince and Princess of Wales, and asserting the winners on stage have been supermodel and tv host Heidi Klum, actor and activist Nina Dobrev, artist and actor Tobe Nwigwe, and supermodel and wonder entrepreneur Winnie Harlow.
The 2024 winners of The Earthshot Prize are revealed
The Earthshot Prize was first launched in 2020 by Prince William, who wished to recognise environmental options to “restore” the Earth.
Out of the 15 finalists, solely 5 class winners have been chosen to every win a £1 million (€1.2 million) prize fund to scale up their plans.
Defend and Restore Nature Winner: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative
Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in Kazakhstan is on a mission to guard and restore the nation’s Golden Steppe, which is likely one of the world’s largest conservation tasks.
The organisation has already achieved the indomitable activity of saving the critically endangered Saiga Antelope from extinction.
Clear Our Air Winner: GAYO, Inexperienced Africa Youth Group
GAYO is targeted on delivering round economic system waste administration in Ghana and Uganda. Younger persons are driving behavioural change in communities, serving to them to wash up waste, create jobs and construct infrastructure.
Revive Our Oceans Winner: Excessive Ambition Coalition for Nature and Folks (HAC)
The Excessive Ambition Coalition for Nature and Folks needs motion, not guarantees, and so engages and works intently with international governments to guard 30 per cent of our land and oceans by 2023.
Construct a Waste-free World Winner: Maintain IT Cool (KIC)
How can small farmers and fishers prolong the shelf lifetime of their catch and scale back spoilage? KIC has developed a sustainable refrigeration and good distribution answer throughout Kenya and Uganda, which not solely reduces meals waste but additionally improves earnings and helps steady incomes.
Repair Our Local weather Winner: Superior Thermovoltaic Techniques (ATS)
A easy concept with probably an awesome influence: American-based ATS has developed a secure and dependable looped answer that transforms industrial waste warmth into electrical energy to be used in hard-to-abate industries, saving gigatonnes of CO2 within the course of.
Why was Africa chosen to host The Earthshot Prize?
Africa is deemed probably the most susceptible continent to the impacts of local weather change, despite the fact that its nations boast the bottom carbon emissions.
“Africa has all the time held a particular place in my coronary heart – as someplace I discovered consolation as a youngster, the place I proposed to my spouse and most just lately because the founding inspiration behind The Earthshot Prize,” says Prince William, founder and president of The Earthshot Prize and second in line to the British throne.
“It was in Namibia in 2018 that I realised the ability of how revolutionary, optimistic options to environmental issues might drive transformative change for people and nature.”
Prematurely of the ceremony, The Earthshot Prize constructed up a regional community to assist determine extra nominations from Africa. Consequently, the variety of African-based nominees in 2024 doubled since final 12 months.
The Earthshot Prize befell amid criticism of the Royal Household
Final weekend, an explosive investigation by Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ and the Sunday Occasions newspaper flagged the financing of each Prince William’s and King Charles’ personal estates.
This raised a number of environmental controversies, together with latest mining contracts and licences to drill in areas of excellent magnificence on the estates in England and Wales. The investigation additionally highlighted that the estates’ portfolios of rental properties held a few of Britain’s worst vitality effectivity rankings.
A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson mentioned it’s “a non-public property with a industrial crucial which we obtain alongside our dedication to restoring the pure atmosphere and producing optimistic social influence for our communities”.
This isn’t the primary time Prince William has been criticised for his environmental contradictions. In 2022, it was revealed that the long run king’s Royal Basis had invested in unsustainable palm oil.
