SINGAPORE: Celebrities joined Britain’s Prince William to walk the “green carpet” in Singapore on Tuesday for the third Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, where five winners ranging from solar-powered dryers to combat food waste to making electric car batteries cleaner were unveiled.
The Prince of Wales said at the first ceremony held in Asia that the solutions presented by all 15 finalists proved that “hope does remain” as the devastating effects of climate change are felt across the world.
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, actors Donnie Yen, Lana Condor and Nomzamo Mbatha, as well as Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin presented the award to winners in five categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change.
The winners, who each won $1.2 million to scale up their innovations, are:
— Acción Andina, for a community-based initiative in South American bringing tens of thousands of local and indigenous people together to restore high forests in the Andes mountain.
— India’s S4S Technologies, for solar-powered dryers and processing equipment that helped millions of farmers to preserve their crops and combat food waste.
— Boomitra, for removing emissions and helping boost farmer profits in Asia, South America and Africa by incentivizing land restoration through a verified carbon-credit marketplace.
— Hong Kong company GRST, for developing a way to make batteries for electric vehicles pollute less and are easier to recycle.
— Global nonprofit organization WildAid Marine Program, for working with governments to bolster enforcement to deter illegal fishing and strengthen ocean conservation.
“Our winners and all our finalists remind us that, no matter where you are on our planet, the spirit of ingenuity, and the ability to inspire change, surrounds us all,” William said. He urged people to become “architect of change” to ensure a safer planet for future generations. Global heating has led to severe weather conditions such as floods in Libya and Greece, and wildfires in many parts of the planet.
The winners were chosen by a 13-member council that includes Jordan’s Queen Rania, Chinese business magnate Jack Ma, British fashion designer Stella McCartney, broadcaster David Attenborough, World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweale and former NBA star Yao Ming.
Apart from the prize money, all 15 finalists — chosen from more than 1,100 nominations — will receive a year of technical support and resources to help them accelerate and expand their work.
