The Earthshot Prize and Bloomberg Philanthropies Convene World Leaders, Business Executives, and Activists to Celebrate and Scale Innovators’ Groundbreaking Climate Solutions
The Earthshot Innovation Summit unveiled the 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalists while spotlighting the progress of the 2022 Finalists and Winners in scaling solutions to repair our planet by 2030
Speakers hosted by Earthshot and Bloomberg at the Summit included: Chef José Andrés, Dame Jacinda Ardern, Singapore’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Bill Gates, and more
New York, NY – Today, The Earthshot Prize and Bloomberg Philanthropies co-hosted the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Held during New York Climate Week and the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly, the Summit focused on bringing together policymakers, global business leaders, philanthropists, and climate activists to spotlight and scale groundbreaking solutions that address the world’s most crucial environmental challenges. The Summit also unveiled the fifteen 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalists, each eligible to receive one of five £1 million prizes to be awarded at The Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Singapore on November 7.
In conversation with Earthshot Prize Winner Vaitea Cowan, His Royal Highness Prince William, the Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize observed, “We’ve got to hang on to optimism, because it is the biggest driver of change. It is the biggest driver of innovation.” He continued, “Ten years down the line when we look back, I want to make sure we’ve found the right solutions, we’ve found the right people, but we’re also maximizing their impact.”
In his opening remarks, Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions and Global Advisor to the Winners of The Earthshot Prize said, “By focusing on new innovations and promising ideas, and engaging young people and future leaders, the Earthshot Prize is not about yesterday. It’s about today and tomorrow — because the climate crisis is no longer some far-off menace. It’s here. Right now. And the effects are only getting worse.”
At the Summit, the 2022 Winners and Finalists of The Earthshot Prize met with global business, tech, environmental, and investment leaders, as well as elected officials, advocates and climate philanthropists, including Mayor Abigail Binay of the City of Makati, Philippines; Jane Burston, CEO of the Clean Air Fund; Robert D. Bullard, Executive Director of the Bullard Center; Mayor Cam Guthrie of the City of Guelph, Canada; Mayor Anne Hidalgo, City of Paris; Mayor Kate Gallego of the City of Phoenix, USA; Tom Elliott, CEO of Restor; Zowie Hay, Head of North America at the Welsh Government; Governor Jay Inslee of State of Washington, USA; Mayor Carolina Basualdo of the City of Despeñaderos, Argentina; Bogolo Kenewendo, UN Climate Change High-Level Champions’ Special Advisor, Africa Director; Hiro Mizuno, Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments at the United Nations; Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN High Level Champion for COP27; Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation; Mayor Anna Reynolds of Hobart, Australia, and more.
Larissa Hale, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Queensland Indigenous Womens Ranger Network and 2022 Earthshot Prize Winner, Kaushik Kappagantulu, Co-Founder & CEO, Kheyti and 2022 Earthshot Prize Winner and Rt Hon Dame Jacinda Ardern, Trustee, The Earthshot Prize held and on-stage discussion about how we can work together to catalyze the innovations needed to address climate action during this crucial decade. Rt Hon Dame Ardern said, “A common thing between the Earthshot Prize winners is both economic empowerment and finding sustainable and climate friendly solutions. The health of our oceans and the preservations of our forests and land are vital to human health and to human happiness.” Additionally, Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Founder of Breakthrough Energy spoke about how more needs to be done to scale technologies and solutions to reduce carbon already emitted in the atmosphere and the importance of philanthropic capital to turbocharge climate solutions.
Building anticipation for the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Singapore on November 7, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore said,“Every country has a role to play. Singapore may be small, but we’re playing our own part from ocean conversation to green shipping. The survival and the prosperity of people all over the world are all dependent on the vitality of the sea and how we make a living. There must be collective commitment and a firm result at all levels among the public, private and civic sector. We must work together for a more resilient and sustainable tomorrow. We look forward to hosting the Earthshot Prize awards in November 2023, and we hope to see many of you in Singapore.”
Additional speakers and special guests included: The Honorable Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore; Emily Chang, Host & Executive Producer, Bloomberg Originals; The Honorable Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Australia; Nomzamo Mbatha, Actress, Humanitarian, and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador; and Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, The Commonwealth Secretary-General.
Following the Plenary, attendees convened for a Catalyzing Innovation breakout session that examined the pivotal role of innovation in effecting positive change and scaling solutions. During the session José Andrés, Chef and Founder of World Central Kitchen, said, “When you talk about food and water, the urgency of now is yesterday. You cannot wait. And you can do it with local food, you can do it with local people where the aid is always going to be quicker and smarter. And in the process, because the money is channeled through those local businesses and people, you’re not only providing aid but in the process of the emergency, you’re already investing in the reconstruction of those communities. This has to be the way going forward.”
Additionally, several 2022 Earthshot Prize finalists spoke with Bloomberg Anchor Carol Massar about how they are using innovation and diverse expertise to take on major challenges.
The 2022 Earthshot Prize Finalists and Winners that joined the Summit and Breakout included: Natasha Boulding, Founder & CEO, Low Carbon Materials; Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Notpla; Talal Hasan, Founder & CEO, 44.01; Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech; Kaushik Kappagantulu, Co-Founder & CEO, Kheyti; Charlot Magayi, Founder & CEO, Mukuru Clean Stoves; Brandon Ng, Co-Founder & CEO, Ampd Energy; and Pierre Paslier, Co-CEO, Notpla.
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About the Earthshot Prize:
For more information about The Earthshot Prize, visit: earthshotprize.org.
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Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyze an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.
The Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions. It will discover 50 winners over 10 years with the power to repair the planet. More than an award, The Earthshot Prize works in partnership with a Global Alliance of Partners to support the scaling of the solutions discovered and selected each year.
The Global Alliance Founding Partners are a group of leading global organizations and philanthropists, which act as strategic funding partners to the Prize, including Aga Khan Development Network, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Coleman Family Ventures, DP World in partnership with Dubai EXPO 2020, Eleven Eleven Foundation, Holch Povlsen Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Law Family Charitable Foundation, Legado Para A Juventude, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Marc and Lynne Benioff, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Rob Walton Foundation, Sandy and Paul Edgerley and Standard Chartered Bank.
Global Alliance Partners are non-profit environment and sustainable development organizations that bring expertise, global reach and serve as nominating organizations each year. For full list see website: Global Alliance – Earthshot Prize.
Global Alliance Members are some of the world’s largest and most influential companies and brands that will support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of Prize Finalists and Winners. They are: Arup, Bloomberg L.P., Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hitachi, Ingka Group (IKEA), Microsoft, The Multichoice Group, Natura &Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom Group and Walmart.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2022, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed US$ 1.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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