England’s Prince William, aka the Duke of Cambridge, has announced what is being billed as “the most prestigious global environment prize in history.” The Earthshot prize, as it’s called, will award £50 million ($64.5 million) over 10 years to help find solutions to repair the planet by 2030.
Each year, five £1m prizes will be awarded to different projects, with the idea of funding at least 50 solutions to some of the world’s environmental problems.
“I felt very much that there’s a lot of people wanting to do many good things for the environment and what they need is a bit of a catalyst, a bit of hope, a bit of positivity that we can actually fix what’s being presented,” said Prince William. “I think that urgency with optimism really creates action. And so the Earthshot prize is really about harnessing that optimism and that urgency to find solutions to some of the world’s greatest environmental problems.”
The prize is inspired by John F Kennedy’s ambitious “moonshot” lunar program, and centers around five “Earthshots.” These include protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing the climate.
Just so you know, everyone’s favorite nature narrator Sir David Attenborough is a part of the Earthshot prize and will be on the jury that awards money to climate solutions.
Image source: Royal Foundation
