Who Is the First Recipient of the 'Environmental Nobel Prize' Created by Prince William?

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The inaugural 'Earthshot' awards ceremony, established by Britain's Prince William with the aim of becoming the highest honor in the international environmental field, was held on the 17th (local time).

According to the BBC and others, the ceremony held at Alexandra Palace in North London selected individuals, organizations, and governments in five categories.

First, Costa Rica, which once cleared most of its forests but now has doubled its tree coverage, was chosen as the winner in the nature conservation and restoration category.

The Costa Rican government supported citizens with costs for forest restoration to prevent national deforestation and restore natural ecosystems. In his acceptance speech, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica said, "What we have achieved in this small Central American country can be done anywhere."

In the air quality improvement category, an Indian company that created a portable machine enabling farmers to convert agricultural waste into fertilizer instead of burning fields received the award.

In the ocean restoration category, two close friends who developed a special tank to revive the endangered coral reefs in the Bahamas region won the prize.

In the waste-free world building category, the city of Milan, Italy, which collects unused food and distributes it to those in need, was selected.

In the climate problem-solving category, a water electrolysis technology using anion exchange membrane (AEM) method powered by renewable energy to produce hydrogen by decomposing water received the award.

Each category winner receives a prize of 1 million pounds (approximately 1.6 billion KRW).

Prince William said, "The next 10 years will be a decisive decade for the Earth," adding, "Although 10 years may not seem enough, humanity has the great capability to solve what seems unsolvable."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.