The recipients of this year’s Prince of Wales’s £1m Earthshot awards included the researchers who created a more environmentally friendly method for producing batteries used in electric vehicles.

The accolades, disclosed at a event in Singapore on Tuesday, are intended to recognize inventive methods to address the urgent issues of climate change and biodiversity loss.

During his speech at the event, which was named after the 1960s Moonshot challenge initiated by former US president John F. Kennedy, the prince expressed that there is still hope despite the increasingly undeniable impacts of the climate crisis. The prince was dressed in a blazer from Alexander McQueen, a piece that has been in his wardrobe for a decade. He previously wore the same blazer at the inaugural Earthshot awards in 2021.

“The previous year has been filled with significant transformations and immense difficulties,” he stated. “It has been a year that has left many feeling overwhelmed and their optimism fading. Nevertheless, as we have witnessed this evening, hope still endures.”

According to the prince, future generations will view this decade as the pivotal moment when we, as a global community, came together to take action for the preservation of our planet. It was the moment when we rejected the voices of those who denied the urgency of the situation and instead became leaders in creating a better and more sustainable world.

“We have a responsibility to collaborate for the benefit of future generations and the well-being of our planet. I am confident that we will find the determination to do so, fueled by the powerful forces of optimism and hope.”

The five victorious endeavors, each awarded a £1m prize, were:

The project by GRST aims to create and reuse lithium-ion batteries in an environmentally friendly and responsible manner.

The WildAid Marine program aims to unite governments, scientists, and activists in an effort to combat illegal fishing and enhance ocean conservation.

S4S Technologies has created a program to design solar-powered dryers and processing equipment, allowing small-scale farmers to preserve their crops and transform previously discarded items into valuable goods.

Boomitra is collaborating with 150,000 farmers in underprivileged regions of Africa, South America, and Asia to decrease emissions and increase profits by offering incentives for restoring land through a verified marketplace for carbon credits.

The Accion Andina initiative brings together numerous individuals from local and Indigenous communities in the Andes mountains to safeguard and rehabilitate the natural forests and ecosystems.

The prince and the Earthshot Prize Council, led by Christiana Figueres, one of the designers of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, chose the winners.

The event coordinators announced that the top five winners and an additional 10 finalists will be granted mentorship, resources, and technical assistance through the Earthshot Prize fellowship. This program spans over a year and aims to expedite the development of their initiatives.

During the ceremony, Sir David Attenborough, a member of the Earthshot Prize Council, made a video appearance and expressed to the audience that it is possible to live in harmony and responsibility on our planet.

He stated, “This evening, we honor those who are paving the path towards a brighter tomorrow.”

• This report was contributed to by PA Media.

Source: theguardian.com