5G in Africa: What’s its potential, Selasi Ahorlumegah?
Naa Oyoe Quartey
With its fast speeds and revolutionary potential, 5G stands out as a noteworthy milestone in the field of […]
Winners of Earthshot Prize 2023 announced
Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, poses on the green carpet for the Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Caroline Chia
Winners of the Earthshot Prize, aimed at supporting initiatives battling the climate crisis, have been announced. Among the victorious projects are a lithium-ion battery recycling venture and a program targeting the ending of illegal fishing.
Unveiled in Singapore, the five champions will each be granted £1 million ($1.1 million) to expand their solutions, coupled with additional support. These companies are concentrating on various aspects, ranging from cleaner energy to preserving nature, with a focus on addressing issues linked to pollution, loss of biodiversity, and the climate emergency.
The significance of discovering innovative methods to reduce carbon emissions and safeguard nature has been highlighted by the extreme heat experienced this year. 2023 marked record-breaking temperatures, with global warming leading to unprecedented disasters like the wildfires in Canada and floods in Libya and Greece.
In the category of “Clean Our Air,” the winner is GRST, a company which devised an inventive approach for constructing and recycling crucial lithium-ion batteries. GRST is focused to create a revolution in making batteries cleaner and more recyclable, with the aim to achieve the ambitious goal of net zero by 2050.
The other winners include the WildAid Marine Program – scaling marine enforcement to eliminate illegal fishing, S4S Technologies – manufacturing processing equipment to combat food waste, Accion Andina – an initiative rooted in communities to protect native high Andean forest ecosystems, and Boomitra – which aims to encourage land restoration through a verified carbon-credit marketplace.
The Earthshot Prize, initiated by Prince William in 2020, is supported by a global alliance of organisations, including the Bezos Earth Fund, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Marc and Lynne Benioff and Bloomberg LP.
Last year’s awardees comprised entities such as the carbon removal company 44.01, electrolyzer manufacturer Enapter, innovators in coral restoration Coral Vita, the Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network, and climate-friendly farming startup Kheyti.
Initially, over 1,100 applicants were narrowed down to 15 finalists by a global panel of scientific, academic, and subject-matter experts. The selection of the winners was carried out by Prince William and the Earthshot Prize Council, headed by Christiana Figueres, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement. It was a star-studded night as Earthshot Prize counts with the support of Sr David Attenborough, Australian actor and producer Cate Blanchett, and former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Arden.
