Published 16:05 IST, October 8th 2020
Prince William launches first global environment prize to repair planet Earth
Prince Williams launched The Earthshot Prize, a global environment prize meant to incentivise change and help to repair planet Earth over the next decade.
Duke of Cambridge Prince Williams on October 8 launched The Earthshot Prize, a global environment prize meant to incentivise change and help to repair planet Earth over the next ten years. The award will see five, one million-pound prize being awarded each year for the next ten years, providing at least 50 solutions to the world’s "greatest environmental problems" by 2030.
"The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a 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 ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth," Prince William said about the prize.
Inspired by JFK's Moon Shot
The award is inspired by the famous Moon Shot speech by the United States President John F. Kennedy in 1961, where he announced his goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’, simple but ambitious goals for improving planet Earth's environment, which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for us all, for generations to come.
The five earth shots are - protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate. Each Earthshot is underpinned by scientifically agreed targets including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally recognised measures to help repair our planet.
The launch comes after two years of work by Prince William and The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to develop a project which will support the global effort to protect and restore the environment. The prize was first introduced on December 31, 2019, by Prince William, who is second in line to the British throne.
Updated 16:04 IST, October 8th 2020