The Earthshots

The Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’ – simple but ambitious goals for our planet which if achieved by 2030 will improve life for us all, for generations to come. Each Earthshot is underpinned by scientifically agreed targets including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally recognised measures to help repair our planet.

1. Protect & Restore Nature

Species all over the world face extinction as their homes are destroyed, but destroying nature threatens our lives too.

Forests and natural land are vital to human health and happiness, helping to prevent global warming and producing oxygen that we breathe. We must act now to protect our future.

We choose to repair and preserve the habitats that our animals need to live, from rainforests and grasslands, to wetlands, lakes and rivers.

We will award The Earthshot Prize to the most outstanding efforts to meet this challenge. To the conservationists who put a stop to poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking; to the landowners who create job opportunities for people who look after natural land; and to the entrepreneurs who help scale solutions for planting billions more trees that will secure the health and safety of generations to come.

2. Clean our Air

Millions of children all over the world breathe toxic air every day, causing countless deaths that could be prevented.

We refuse to accept this – clean air and healthy lives are within our reach.

We choose to end outdated transport that emits toxic fumes, remove pollution from the air using both technology and nature, and eliminate the burning of fossil fuels, choosing 100% renewable energy for everyone – from big cities to rural villages.

We will award The Earthshot Prize to the most outstanding efforts to meet this challenge. To the innovators who create job opportunities in green transport and clean energy; to the businesses who remove more pollution from the air than they put into it; and to the communities who let us heat our homes, travel to work and feed our families without polluting the air that we breathe.

3. Revive our Oceans

Warmer temperatures, pollution and harmful fishing practices are having devastating impacts on the ocean, putting life underwater in jeopardy.

But this decade we can choose to make our ocean healthy.

We refuse to accept a world where turtles, dolphins and coral reefs vanish from our seas.

We choose to bring forward a new era where everyone uses the ocean sustainably.

We will award The Earthshot Prize to the most outstanding efforts to meet this challenge. To the innovators who revolutionise our understanding of life underwater; to the leaders who end criminal and unsustainable fishing practices; and to the technologists who repair coral reefs and show us how to remove pollution from the ocean on a global scale.

We choose a future where our children can enjoy the ocean for years to come, and where the ocean can continue to sustain and enrich all life on Earth.

4. Build a Waste-Free World

The world we have built is not like this; we throw everything away, and this is harming our planet.

But we have the power to build something better.

We choose to eliminate food waste, single-use packaging, and inspire a new generation of people, companies, and industries to reuse, repurpose, and recycle.

We will award The Earthshot Prize to the most outstanding efforts to meet this challenge. To the organisations that are eliminating single-use products and packaging; to the cities that revolutionise their waste management systems; and to the innovators who give new life to things destined for landfill.

We choose to build a system that can work forever, where people everywhere can live safe, healthy and happy lives, without waste.

5. Fix our Climate

Carbon in the atmosphere is making our planet warmer, to levels which threaten all life on Earth.

But it is not too late; if we act now, we can make the world a better, more sustainable home for everyone.

We will combat climate change by removing more carbon from the atmosphere than we put into it and ensuring all countries reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. We will build defences to protect innocent people from climate driven disasters and crises.

We will award The Earthshot Prize to the most outstanding efforts to meet this challenge. To the cities or countries who reach net-zero emissions; to the leaders who create millions of new jobs in a carbon neutral economy; to the technologists who remove carbon from the atmosphere on a global scale, whilst protecting human life and nature.

We choose to fix our climate so that life everywhere can thrive for generations to come.