20th September – There is just one topic here – The Earthshot Prize, adult and youth versions. Is all this investment (close to £50m by now) really achieving what we need? PS this is a lot more interesting than you might think!
Any day now the shortlist of 15 finalists of the adult Earthshot Prize 2024 will be announced.
Strangely, during our attempts to delve more deeply into the Blue Peter green badge priorities, we discovered that this time there is also a Youth version. Perhaps you would expect me, of all people, Queen of Climate Hope, to be really enthusiastic about this new opportunity, but my gut reaction is not so good. More on that later, firstly, let’s look at the adult competition.
The scheme is set up to operate through the decade 2020 to 30, so we have already had over a 1/3 of the whole time available. Yes, from the Impact reports it is clear that some very good ideas have been supported and – largely in the Global South – have improved the lives and circumstances of communities under threat of climate change. So … tick in a box, it does what it set out to do.
But, what concerns me is that not a hint of obstacles has been allowed to creep in. Where are the reservations, the unintended consequences and problems to overcome etc? The tone is just too upbeat, too self-congratulatory to feel realistic. I want us to be party to the grim as well as the glorious, since learning from problems and mistakes would make the whole thing of greater value.
Let’s take a closer look:-
since our inception we have scoured the planet for proven solutions to
* replenish our oceans,
* restore nature,
* remove waste,
* clean our air, and
* remove or mitigate carbon emissions.
In just three years, we’ve made tremendous progress in four important areas.
1) The EARTHSHOT Search
First, we have built a powerful search engine that scours the planet for groundbreaking and impactful environmental solutions. The 3,000 nominations we have received over the first three cycles of The Earthshot Prize tell a previously untold story: a green innovation movement is happening. It’s happening in every city, state and region in the world. It’s happening in governments, in businesses, in not-for-profits and in communities.
There is precious little detail on the search process online, but eventually I did find one of the official organisations with responsibility for identifying and sponsoring the new ideas that will reach the shortlist each year. This is the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, an Official Earthshot Nominator for the second year running.
EMEC is one of 349 nominators from 66 countries tasked with identifying breakthrough solutions that can solve the world’s biggest environmental challenges.
They were appointed as an Official Nominator in 2022, following the Prince and Princess of Wales, then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visiting EMEC to see the world-leading decarbonisation innovations taking place in Orkney.
Their main focus being energy, places EMEC in the Carbon reduction category, but also overlapping into ‘Replenish our Oceans’. They have provided a completely transparent booklet of guidance and application form, for entrants. So, if we know of any adult organisation capable of putting forward ideas in those categories (surely we have some great Cornish firms that could be thinking of this?), then they will find support along the path. Please, if you can think of any, give them the info for next year. Plymouth Uni Marine School Tidal schemes, Falmouth Docks initiative running many, many boats on HVO are two popping into my head straight off!
Criteria of Assessment
EMEC explains that Earthshot is seeking innovations that will help repair and regenerate the planet. Assessment criteria is heavily weighted towards preventative solutions that address the source of the problem, providing an alternative approach from those that cause harm to the environment.
This complements EMEC’s own vision of supporting the transition to a low-carbon future. With 2023 marking EMEC’s 20th anniversary, they are particularly interested to receive applications from its clients, partners and alumni, as well as companies working in similar sectors such as offshore energy, green energy vectors and energy systems.
All nominations should be well beyond idea stage but can have development requirements that need to be addressed before they are ready to scale their impact. Solutions should have the potential to be scaled and replicated to be relevant on a global level by 2030, making a significant or transformative impact on at least one of the Earthshot categories:
EMEC’s own EU funded project
See below, the most recent innovations of EMEC, still accessing European cash. Wonder how that is working? Cornwall desperately needs to achieve the same, if at all possible, since the final tranches of UK government funding (SPF) will run out in March 2025. We are advised on Cornwall Live that the money is already spent, and overspent. In the tiniest way, we at Meadow Barns are contributing too; I have an overspend on our budget of … well, only £37!! But if you apply that to all SPF projects, it isn’t good news. And the cliff edge of no further investment next year, is extremely worrying.
https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/cornwall-cliff-edge-structural-funding-9563555 https://www.emec.org.uk/innovative-wave-energy-project-receives-green-light-from-eu/
WEDUSEA is a pioneering collaboration between 14 partners, spanning industry and academia from across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain. It is co-ordinated by the Irish company OceanEnergy.
The project is co-funded by the EU Horizon Europe Programme and by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.
The project will demonstrate a grid connected 1 MW OE35 floating wave energy converter at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) wave energy test site at Billia Croo in Orkney, Scotland. A rigorous technical and environmental demonstration will happen over a two-year period in Atlantic wave conditions.
OceanEnergy has developed the OE35, which is the world’s largest capacity floating wave energy device. Floating on the ocean’s surface, the device incorporates a trapped air volume, with the lower part open to the sea. Wave pressures at the submerged opening cause the water to oscillate and drive the trapped air through a turbine to generate electricity. Electricity generated will be exported to the UK grid via EMEC’s subsea cables.
2) The EARTHSHOT funding streams
Second, we are speeding up and increasing the flow of capital to Earthshot solutions. Since 2021, we have awarded £15 million of prize money and helped catalyse £50 million of additional funding and support from the Earthshot network for our 45 Winners and Finalists.
We see our role as a platform for impact, and we want to do more to catalyse further funding on an even bigger scale, supporting even more Earthshot innovators.
With our pilot online match-making platform, Launchpad, we are connecting Earthshot innovators with a mission-aligned community of investors and philanthropists who can provide the capital required to bring environmental solutions to scale.
Pilot match-making sounds like a good plan. I found that this had been presented and explained a few months back (June 27th), at the London Climate Action Week (LCAW). I had never heard of that event, which is understandable since I am not a resident of the great metropolis. But what about London friends? Did you know of this? https://www.londonclimateactionweek.org/about-us/
During LCAW, The Earthshot Prize and partners will host events across the city to spotlight innovators and their game-changing work and demonstrate the power of The Earthshot Prize to drive investment and speed solutions to scale.
The Climate Action Week programme was a great opportunity to tell success stories. You will see that the agenda had 2 other headline concerns, ‘Investing in Water’ and ‘Speeding Seaweed Solutions’. I was especially interested in the 3 who looked into water conservation and have dipped into these for you, with the exception of Accion Andina, because I wrote extensively about them back in the spring editions of Green Fridays:-
In June the 2024 London Climate Action Week brought together last year’s finalists.
Aquacyl
Their microbial fuel cells use naturally occurring bacteria to make even the most polluted water safe, while also generating usable electrical current. Independent of electricity grids and sewer systems, Aquacycl’s wastewater treatment units remove pollutants at a rate 10 times higher than conventional treatment technologies.
Compared with conventional systems, Aquacycl reduces the overall greenhouse gas emissions implicated in industrial wastewater treatment by more than half. Because their units generate their own current, they use less electricity. And because the fuel cells are housed and serviced on-site in shipping containers, Aquacycl eliminates the need for fossil fuels associated with haulage.
Colorifix
Before the 19th century, fabric dyes were derived from natural plants and crops, and colourful clothing was considered a luxury reserved only for the wealthy and privileged. After the industrial revolution brought about synthetic dyes, colourful dyed fabrics and clothing became accessible to the masses and created the modern fashion industry. However, chemically synthesised dyes have come at a significant cost as they seep into rivers, harm wildlife and use vast amounts of water resources. Fabric dyeing consumes five trillion litres of water every year, the equivalent of two million Olympic-sized swimming pools.
UK based Colorifix has an innovative solution derived from nature. Inspired by their study of water contamination in Nepal, founders Orr Yarkoni and Jim Ajioka have created an efficient fabric-dyeing process that uses the DNA codes for colours found in nature and teaches microbes to recreate them. Just as brewing beer uses the power of microorganisms to ferment wheat, Colorifix is harnessing microscopic life to make natural fabric dyes.
NB I can see a very likely new activity at Meadow Barns, dyeing white or cream traditional materials like calico, using dyes from tin, iron, copper etc. Will tie in very nicely with the Mining Project.
Speeding Seaweed Solutions
We will host the Seaweed Road to UNOC Workshop on Tuesday in partnership with the Global Seaweed Alliance.
Sea Forest’s revolutionary seaweed-based livestock feed drastically reduces planet-warming methane emissions from cattle and sheep and supports sustainable farming and healthy marine ecosystems.
The warming effect of methane is profound. A single metric tonne has the same heat-trapping capacity of 28 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide. Each cow on the planet emits an average of 100kg of the gas each year, meaning that livestock farming accounts for 14% of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Sea Forest has a solution – a red seaweed-based feed to make livestock farming nearly methane- free.
Just 0.5% of SeaFeed™ can cut methane production by up to 90%.
Notably, while Asparagopsis is native to waters around Tasmania, it’s versatile enough to be grown on land or at sea in other parts of the world. Cultivating the seaweed not only holds promise for methane reduction, but also captures carbon, helping to combat ocean acidification.
Another NB … I have been proposing this idea to be used in Cornwall, but the seaweed in St Austell Bay is apparently not the right type. Gary Rawle’s mussel and seaweed farm enterprise could/should enter Earthshot next year, proposing to trial the Asparagopsis here!!
3) Tools, Training, Education
Earthshot’s 3rd point is that they are
dismantling structural barriers and equipping Finalists with the tools and training to scale quickly.
But they are not including any links with the formal education sector. That is understandable, it would be an additional enormous challenge. Happily, however, the London people are concentrating on Education. PS Don’t you love this artwork taken from the header of their web page? The original picture is even wider, taking in the eastern part of London and the river too.
From the Home page I found their education blog. Through exploring it I am absolutely thrilled to think I can contact someone at my old university/alma mater, to present our Early Years project for their consideration. If, as we obviously hope, the participants in our ‘Cornish Mines for Climate Hope’ (starting 30th September) approve of our programme, can it be published by Cambridge University press? WOW! What a thought.
Why Climate Education Matters
As the world faces a climate crisis, education must be part of the answer. Climate education equips young people with the knowledge and skills to understand the complexities of climate change and encourages them to become… Read more
What Makes Successful Climate Education
But what makes successful climate education? Here are the five principles that are underpinning our thinking and action:
- Integrated and inclusive – multi-disciplinary; across stages and subjects; universal; and relevant to diverse backgrounds and contexts
- High quality – age-appropriate and responsive to varied capabilities; based on accurate and evidenced science; supported by effective teaching
- Action-orientated – empowering significant action; hopeful; sharing knowledge, understanding and skills enabling learners to make informed career choices
- Assessed and recognised – appropriately assessed; valued as an important aspect of progression
- Global and Local – in the context of a developing global consensus around climate change, acknowledging that climate change is experienced differently by locality.
Climate Skills and Knowledge Building
Here in the United Kingdom, Cambridge is calling for the next UK government to appoint an independent review to gather evidence and advise on the climate knowledge and skills young people need and how to embed those in the education system. A recent YouGov survey showed support for this as we found:
- More than 65 percent of the British public would support a change to the school curriculum to include more content on climate change.
- Over 70 percent think a greater focus on climate change at school would help students better understand how to tackle it.
- 58 percent of UK adults thinka focus on climate change would prepare students for jobs in a ‘green economy’.
As part of the University of Cambridge, we are uniquely placed to connect our curriculum and assessment specialists, in topics such as geography, business and engineering, with leading climate researchers and scientists. This collaboration allows us to develop impactful climate change resources, reaching millions of learners.
Learn more about our initiatives and commitment to climate education on our website.
Christine Özden, Global Director of Climate Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Back to Earthshot – their final section
Taking a solution from concept to scale takes leadership, experience and operational prowess. Many innovators, especially from the Global South, lack access to privileged networks of power, advice, talent, contracts, or capital needed to bring their innovations to market. This is why in 2022, we launched a Fellowship Programme to equip our Finalists with tools, masterclasses, peer networks and media training to scale quickly, with support from our world-class Global Alliance.
Finally, we are inspiring environmental optimism. We want the world to know that there is reason for hope, reason for excitement, reason to believe in the potential of a greener future for all.
We tell our nominees’ stories throughout the year with the support of our partners. We bring the magic to life at our Awards Ceremony, held each year in a different region. And we tell these stories with a purpose: to spark your imagination. To unleash urgent optimism in you. And to inspire you to act. To dream of becoming a future Earthshot Finalist. Or to join one of our Finalists on their journey to scale. Or to help their solution to become the ‘new normal’.
In 3 short years, the advancements we’ve made collectively stand in stark contrast to the dominant narrative of climate doom and gloom. The reality is that a green revolution is happening. It’s happening in every city, nation and region in the world. It’s happening in governments, in businesses, in not-for-profits and in communities. And, it’s being led by innovators from all walks of life who have the vision and optimism to drive solutions and imagine a better world.
The combination of Earthshot Prize money, our ability to catalyse additional funding, provide organisational support, mentorship, and elevate awareness of solutions has resulted in an accelerated growth trajectory for many of our Finalists.
• In the first year after becoming a Finalist, Reeddi saw a sixfold increase in revenue versus the previous year
• In 2023 Enapter’s turnover passed the €30m mark, by far its most successful year to date and over three times larger than its revenue the year it won The Earthshot Prize
• 2023 has been Kheyti’s best year ever: it has sold five times the number of greenhouses compared to 2022 and almost doubled its income
• The City of Milan has expanded from two to five Food Waste Hubs since winning The Earthshot Prize and seen a threefold increase in the volume of food waste recovered.
A number of Finalists have also expanded in scale and reach since becoming Winners and Finalists.
Before winning The Earthshot Prize, Mukuru Clean Stoves was in three different markets, all within Kenya. The company is now in six markets, including an expansion into Ghana and Nigeria.
Coral Vita, Living Seawalls and The Great Bubble Barrier all started their journey as Winners or Finalists in one country and have since expanded internationally.
JUST DISCOVERED – local charity Our Only World who have supported the installation of a Living Seawall in Plymouth. Through close collaboration with University of Plymouth (world leader in marine eco-engineering) plus partners, we sourced funding to deploy a full-scale Living Seawall in Plymouth, which was installed in August 2023.
In 2024 Living Seawalls expects to reach a milestone of being present on five continents. This highlights the transformational impact that The Earthshot Prize can have in a very short time.
Earthshot team conclude: –
We believe our formula works, and we’re committed to continue building upon the support and resources we can offer to these incredible Finalists. With the foundations now firmly in place, our focus shifts to how we can help to exponentially scale, support and spotlight even more innovators around the world.
Already in 2024, we have doubled the number of entries, attracting over 2,000 nominations from 139 countries; over 1.4 million people saw the announcement online that Cape Town is our 2024 destination.
Last but not least, THE YOUNG ONE
I have grave doubts about it!
British children’s TV show, Blue Peter, has launched a brand new Earthshot competition searching for the next generation of young inventors, problem solvers and change-makers, giving viewers the chance to be recognised by His Royal Highness, Prince William’s prestigious Earthshot Prize.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/joinin/bp-competition
Children aged 5-15 are invited to submit an original idea aimed at achieving one of the five “Earthshots”, the aspirational environmental goals established by The Earthshot Prize.
SURELY IT IS NONSENSE TO OPEN THIS TO 5 YEAR OLDS? Some of today’s children of that age are not even fully potty trained! They may be adept at playing on a phone or i-pad, but they would not be capable of typing 250 intelligent words in a box. And would they have any chance of identifying realistic proposals for Climate Hope? I think not!
At Blue Peter we welcome entries from children of all abilities. If the child entering identifies as deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent and you’d like to tell us, please tick the box below. If your child is selected to be part of the verification process for the shortlisted entrants and standbys, the Blue Peter team will ask you for more information about this during the verification phone call.
THIS ALSO FEELS QUITE WEIRD and TOO LIMITED. Someone needs to put them in touch with that Cambridge Uni recommendation, to be Integrated and inclusive – multi-disciplinary; across stages and subjects; universal; and relevant to diverse backgrounds and contexts.
Inclusion should mean applicants may submit ideas through sound recordings and/or film, instead of using pen or paints and paper. The world is a very different place from when Blue Peter began; their options need to reflect this.
The competition closes on Monday 28th October 2024 at 5pm and the winner will be announced on Blue Peter in 2025. Blue Peter is a BBC Studios Kids & Family Production for CBBC. Blue Peter Earthshot competition launches at 5pm, Friday 6 September, CBBC and BBC iPlayer.
Blue Peter is looking for aspiring environmentalists and leaders to describe their idea or innovation to help create a healthy, sustainable future: what it looks like, how it can be used and what benefit it could bring to the planet; and accompany this with a drawing or poster to bring the idea to life.
The competition also has the backing of five environmental champions who will introduce the topics and present Blue Peter films about projects in the UK working to protect and restore the planet:
- Fix Our Climate: Steve Backshall – Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist
- Protect and Restore Nature: Hamza Yassin – Wildlife Camera Operator, Conservationist and TV Presenter
- Clean Our Air: Bonnie Wright – Actress, Filmmaker and Environmentalist
- Revive Our Oceans: Inka Creswell – Wildlife Filmmaker and Marine Biologist
- Build a Waste Free World: Sam Bentley – Social Media
