The Prince of Wales has announced the 15 finalists for the £1m environmental award, which includes a technique that can turn barren desert into productive, farmable land and a bubble pump that catches plastic before they enter the ocean.
Founded by Prince William, the Earthshot Prize is now in its second year. The five winners, who each will be given £1m to develop their projects, will be announced in Boston on 2 December.
The Prize says it takes inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s “Moonshot”, which united millions of people around an organising goal to put man on the moon and catalysed the development of new technology in the 1960s.
It continues that the Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’ – “simple, ambitious, and aspirational” goals defining the world we wish to build for future generations.
The five categories of the prize are protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate.
Our 2022 Earthshot Finalists prove there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet.
One of the first British finalists Notpla is nominated in the build a waste-free world category, who offers a circular solution by creating plastic packaging from seaweed.
The other finalists in the category are the City of Amsterdam Circular Economy, which is a city-wide initiative to establish a fully circular economy by 2050; and Indian-based Fleather which offers an “innovative and regenerative” approach to creating leather out of floral waste.
Over 10 years, the Earthshot Prize will hand out £50 to entrepreneurs offering solutions to environmental challenges.
Prince William, said: “The innovators, leaders, and visionaries that make up our 2022 Earthshot Finalists prove there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet.
“They are directing their time, energy, and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come.”
“I am so excited to celebrate these fifteen Finalists and see the five Winners of The Earthshot Prize announced in Boston – the hometown of President John F. Kennedy, who shared The Earthshot Prize’s belief that seemingly impossible goals are within reach if we only harness the limitless power of innovation, human ingenuity and urgent optimism.”