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While the Prince of Wales did not travel to New York City for the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, he still played a big part! Prince William, who is the founder and president of the Earthshot Prize, announced this year's finalists on Sept. 24 in a video at the event, held in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies.
“I’m delighted to introduce you to this year’s 15 new Earthshot Prize finalists," His Royal Highness began. "These solutions are some of the most exciting, innovative and impactful we’ve seen, and the people behind them are true inspirations. I know you’re as passionate as I am about making a difference to our planet and we can’t wait to share their stories with you.”
The 2024 finalists are Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance (Ecuador); NatureMetrics (UK); Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Kazakhstan); Gayo (Ghana); d.light (Pan-Africa); MYCL (Indonesia); High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People; MiAlgae (UK); Coast 4C (Philippines); Natural Fiber Welding (USA); Ferment’Up (France); Keep It Cool (Kenya); Equatic (USA); Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (USA); and Build Up (Nepal).
"Today, we celebrate the incredible achievement, unwavering dedication and urgent optimism that drives our fourth class of Earthshot innovators," Prince William said in a statement. "The passion of these Finalists is a testament to what can be achieved when we tap into the enormous creativity, ingenuity, and optimism of communities around the world."
The heir to the throne continued, "Representing every corner of the globe, these Finalists are leading the way in solving some of the most urgent environmental challenges. Their groundbreaking work is inspiring hope and action as we work to create a sustainable future for generations to come."
The fourth cohort of finalists were selected from nearly 2,500 nominees. The winners will be announced at the fourth Earthshot Prize Awards. The ceremony, which will be part of Earthshot Week, is set to take place on Nov. 6 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Meet the 2024 Earthshot Prize finalists:
For The Earthshot Prize to Protect And Restore Nature:
- Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance (Ecuador): An alliance of 30 indigenous nations that collectively stand together to protect 86 million acres of critical Amazon rainforest – an area the size of Germany – and advocate for a regenerative bioeconomy.
- NatureMetrics (UK): A global intelligence start-up in environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling on a mission to make biodiversity monitoring accessible to all. Using eDNA technology to identify species populations and report environmental and conservation impacts, they have the potential to unleash system-level change in nature conservation and restoration.
- Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Kazakhstan): An organization that has achieved what was thought impossible – the rapid recovery of a large animal from the brink of extinction. Partnering with governments and indigenous communities to restore Kazakhstan's Steppe grassland, Altyn Dala’s work to deliver the comeback of the Saiga antelope is one of the greatest nature restoration successes ever recorded.
For The Earthshot Prize to Clean Our Air:
- Gayo (Ghana): A youth-led organization that uses its “zero waste model” to drive behavioural change in waste management practices across Africa that cut greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution while bringing additional income to communities. Their plan to scale would reduce air pollution by 70 percent and make them the leading model for waste management on the continent.
- d.light (Pan-Africa): A successful company on track to transform the lives of one billion people by providing affordable and clean solar home systems that provide electricity and replace polluting kerosene lamps and dirty stoves. Operating across Sub-Saharan Africa, India and over 60 additional countries, d.light is already one of the world’s largest solar home system providers and continues to rapidly improve access to clean energy.
- MYCL (Indonesia): A company tackling two major problems: crop-waste burning and harmful leather production, both which pollute the air and damage quality of life. They take crop waste – which is typically burned – and use a unique mushroom base to convert it into a leather alternative. They are scaling rapidly via key partnerships with major fashion designers and creating local jobs for farmers and artisans.
For The Earthshot Prize to Revive Our Oceans:
- High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (Global): A groundbreaking alliance of 119 countries with the grandest goal of any Finalist to date – to protect 30 percent of the land and oceans by 2030, by identifying technical, financial and knowledge gaps and connecting governments with technical assistance and funding. They’ve already achieved a major milestone with the adoption of this “30x30” target in the 2022 UN Global Biodiversity Framework.
- MiAlgae (UK): A company offering a circular economy solution to the problem of sourcing marine Omega-3s from fish oil, which requires catching large quantities of wild fish simply to feed the farmed fish that we consume. Using a patented fermentation process and whisky by-products, MiAlgae grows nutrient-rich microalgae as a direct source of Omega-3s for aquaculture feed. Their innovative approach makes the solution highly scalable and cost-efficient, reducing the need to rely on wild fish and offering a sustainable alternative for the industry.
- Coast 4C (Philippines): A social enterprise that aims to build the world’s largest supply of regenerative seaweed, benefiting marginalized coastal fishing communities by transforming their harvest and providing a market to sell the seaweed at profits to lift them out of poverty.
For The Earthshot Prize to Build A Waste-Free World:
- Natural Fiber Welding (USA): A company that creates biodegradable natural fibers and ingredients to replace plastics with wide applications in fashion, footwear, automotive and more. NFW’s non-toxic processes benefit farmers and reduce carbon emissions by 90 percent, compared to plastics.
- Ferment’Up (France): A company that upcycles skins and seeds from fruits and vegetables using dry fermentation to create highly nutritious ingredients from food waste, cutting carbon emissions and drastically reducing water use.
- Keep It Cool (Kenya): A company that is tackling problems with proper refrigeration and cold-chain logistics across Africa by offering solar-powered refrigeration solutions that cut post-harvest waste by 25 percent and by connecting smallholder farmers and fishers to a centralized online marketplace.
For The Earthshot Prize to Fix Our Climate:
- Equatic (USA): Using breakthrough technology, this early-stage company uses a process called seawater electrolysis to remove carbon dioxide from the ocean 99,000 times faster than nature alone. The process creates a byproduct called green hydrogen, a desirable clean fuel whose sale could support its carbon removal operations.
- Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (USA): A company that takes excess heat from heavy industrial processes, like creating cement and steel, and converts the heat waste into electricity. ATS’s unique heat waste capture technology has the potential to avoid a gigatonne of CO2 waste by 2050.
- Build Up Nepal (Nepal): A social enterprise that has developed an earthquake-resilient brick with 75 percent lower carbon emissions compared to traditional clay-fired bricks. Homes built with these bricks are affordable and have been proven to withstand earthquakes. The five Winners of this year’s Prize will be selected by Prince William and his fellow members of the prestigious Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse group of individuals dedicated to championing urgent and innovative action to protect the climate and our natural environment. The Earthshot Prize Council is chaired by The Earthshot Prize Board of Trustees Chair, Dame Christiana Figueres, architect of the Paris Agreement.