Earthshot Prize: Prince William says climate crisis too visible to be ignored

Prince William with Earthshot 2023 winners

By Jemma Crew, Daniela Relph, andamp

NBC News

The Prince of Wales announced the five recipients of his yearly Earthshot Prize, saying that the climate crisis has” become very apparent to become ignored.”

Prince William declared that he thought this was the generation to take collective actions to safeguard the environment.

At a ceremony on Tuesday, he announced the winners of the£ 1 million($ 1.2 million ) prize.

They include a business producing electric vehicle chargers from recycled materials and assisting famous people in reducing food waste.

Hannah Waddingham walks with the Prince of Wales as he arrives for the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, at The Theatre at Mediacorp, Singapore

Prince William stated during a speech at the Singapore awards festival,” The past year has been one of great change and also greater challenge.”

” A year in which the weather crisis’ results have become too obvious to be disregarded.

And a time that has left many people feeling hopeless and vanquished.

But as we’ve seen this evening, there is still desire.

All you need to know about The Earthshot Prize

The awards ceremony was presided over by artist Hannah Waddingham, along with shows from OneRepublic and Bastille, Sir David Attenborough, Hollywood celebrity Cate Blanchett, and original New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

The Princess of Wales expressed regret for not being present because she had remained in the UK to assist her 10-year-old son George with his” second set of significant exams.”

Cate Blanchett (left) and Hannah Jones, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize arrive for the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

Members of indie pop band Bastille pose on the green carpet

We hold onto the most potent rewards of all, optimism and hope, the prince continued, adding a cheery statement.

I choose to think that future generations will remember this generation as the time when we all took social activity for our world, he continued.

” We became the architects of shift towards a healthy and sustainable world the second we refused to accept the voices of neglect and pessimism.”

Prince William established the yearly prizes, which are now in their third year and are being held for the first time in Asia, to support initiatives to save the planet.

The prize honors President John F. Kennedy’s” Moonshot” goal of 1960s America at the time, who vowed to send a person to the Moon within ten years.

Who are the triumphants?

Nature is Protected and Restored:

The Andes Mountains in South America’s Acción Andina are the focal point of this local program, which is driven by a desire to cooperate for the benefit of all. According to Earthshot, it brings together tens of thousands of residents and local communities to safeguard regional ecosystems and forests.

sanitize our atmosphere:

GRST, Hong Kong, China: As the demand for electric vehicles has increased, the company has created a more efficient, secure, and affordable method of producing and recycling lithium-ion chargers. This entails creating the device using a water-soluble binding composite, making it possible to recover and reuse the metals more affordably, and lowering the need for additional extraction. According to Earthshot, the technique results in a battery that lasts up to 10 % longer than average and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from production by 40 %.

resurrect our sea

WildAid Marine Program, Global: This non-profit software enhances the efficiency of Marine Protected Areas, where individual action is strictly controlled. According to Earthshot, it makes sure people have the resources they need to stop illegal fishing, restore wildlife, and enhance maritime livelihoods.

Create a Waste-Free World:

S4S Technologies, India was established in 2013 by six college buddies and aids remote areas in eradicating poverty, gender inequality, and meal waste. According to Earthshot, its solar-powered dryers and tools assist small-scale farmers in protecting crops and converting produce that would otherwise be wasted into useful goods.

Improve our culture:

Boomitra, Global: A market for land carbon that rewards producers for using environmentally friendly methods is known as Boomitra, which in Sanskrit means” friend of the world.” According to Earthshot, it tracks the changes producers make to the soil’s capacity to store carbon over time using satellites and Intelligence systems.

To help them develop their innovations, each winner will receive£ 1 million($ 1.2 million ). From more than 1,300 contenders, the 15 winners were chosen.

Brass from water tube fixtures, household waste, and tiny metal components filtered from wastewater ooze were used to create the awards, which were then combined.

Guests were instructed to dress in” pre-loved” attire.

The meeting is scheduled to air on the BBC in the UK at 17:20 GMT on Sunday.