Prince William’s The Earthshot Prize

The Earthshot Prize (BBC1, 5.30pm)
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Prince William’s environmental awards were inspired by President John F Kennedy’s moonshot – after all, if scientists could solve the problem of landing a man on the moon, surely we can also come up with ways to solve the problems facing the Earth?

So, it makes sense that this year The Earthshot Prize ceremony is coming from JFK’s birthplace of Boston.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It will reveal which five environmental solutions from a shortlist of 15 finalist will be awarded £1 million each to further their work.

As Prince William points out, all of the nominees deserve praise. He says: “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.”

This year, British projects have made their way on to the shortlist, including London start-up Notpla, which makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic.

Co-founder and chief executive officer, Pierre Paslier explains: “Fourteen million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans each year. We founded Notpla when we discovered the solution lies in our oceans too. We are already replacing plastic that plagues our seas, and working with seaweed farms that give back to the environment and the local economy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Thank you for recognising us as we take our next big step and eliminate single-use plastic for good!”

Meanwhile, Low Carbon Materials (LCM) is based in County Durham and uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make concrete blocks without carbon emissions.

Chief executive officer Natasha Boulding says: “Until now, construction has been one of the hardest industries to decarbonise. With LCM, that could all change. We’ve turned concrete net zero and now we need the world to start using it. We’re so excited to be a finalist of The Earthshot Prize and to be recognised for our work to fix our climate.”

There’s also a strong showing from the Netherlands – it’s given us the Great Bubble Barrier, which sees air pumped through a perforated tube to create a curtain of bubbles, which brings plastic up to the surface and into a waste collection system, and the City of Amsterdam Circular Economy group, which wants to see nothing wasted and everything recycled in the Netherland’s capital by 2050.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That’s an ambitious goal, but as Prince William has pointed out, big ideas and actions are needed.

He says: “The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a very stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve. People can achieve great things. The next 10 years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.”

Hopefully, tonight’s winners will all play a part in those repairs as well as protecting the planet for more years to come.

Related topics: