Key Highlights
- Prince William announced the winners of the 2025 Earthshot Prize in Rio de Janeiro.
- The prize aims to support projects that help repair the world’s climate through five goals: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.
- Winners will receive £1 million each to scale up their projects.
- Rio de Janeiro marks halfway point for Prince William’s 10-year venture with the Earthshot Prize.
The Earthshot Prize: A Global Environmental Initiative
The Earthshot Prize, launched by Prince William in 2020, has announced its 2025 winners at a ceremony held in Rio de Janeiro. This prestigious global environmental award is designed to inspire and support projects that address key issues in the fight against climate change.
Winners and Their Projects
The five Earthshot Prize winners for 2025 are:
- Protect & Restore Nature: re.green, Brazil – A project making the Atlantic Forest financially viable.
- Clean Our Air: Bogotá City – Demonstrating how public policy can bring lasting change through clean air zones and re-greening degraded areas in Colombia’s capital.
- Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty Initiative – A global ocean initiative set to take effect from January 2026, aiming to conserve marine life.
- Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week – Redefining the fashion industry in Nigeria with sustainable practices required of each designer.
- Fix Our Climate: Friendship Bangladesh – Helping vulnerable communities across Bangladesh through access to public services, health, education, and preparation for natural disasters.
Global Impact and Future Vision
The prize winners were selected from nearly 2,500 nominees submitted by 72 countries. This year’s ceremony was attended by prominent figures including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
Prince William emphasized the importance of the Earthshot Prize in transforming our world for the better over the next decade. He stated, “We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth.” The prize is inspired by former US President John F.
Kennedy’s Moonshot project, aiming to challenge scientists to achieve ambitious goals like getting astronauts to the Moon.
Prince William also highlighted the significance of the Rio de Janeiro ceremony as a halfway point in his 10-year venture with the Earthshot Prize. This milestone underscores the commitment and progress made towards achieving global sustainability goals.
Expert Perspectives
Christiana Figueres, chair of the board of trustees for the Earthshot Prize, expressed optimism about the future impact of these projects. She said, “These winners are proof that the spirit of collective action born here in Rio continues to grow stronger, more determined, and more urgent than ever.” Her comments reflect the growing global awareness and commitment to addressing climate change.
Receiving recognition from such a prestigious award is crucial for organizations like re.green. Thiago Picolo, CEO of re.green, stated, “Winning this prize puts us on the right path. It helps validate our work and facilitate discussions with banks, capital providers, corporates.” Such validation can significantly impact the scale-up of projects aimed at environmental restoration.
Conclusion
The 2025 Earthshot Prize winners represent a significant step towards achieving global sustainability goals set by Prince William. Their projects span diverse areas including nature conservation, air quality improvement, ocean protection, waste management, and climate resilience. As the prize continues its mission over the next five years, it will undoubtedly inspire further innovation and action in the fight against environmental degradation.
