At the Celebrity Celebration in London, five winners each received £1 million, just over 11.8 million kroner – a higher prize money than the Nobel Prize.
The award consists of five categories – climate, nature, atmosphere, sea and litter – and will be awarded annually until 2030 to combat climate change.
“For a long time we did so little to protect the planet,” said the prince.
– Over the next ten years, we will move. We will find solutions to fix our planet.
Costa Rica was awarded this year’s award In the nature category for a project where locals get paid to protect forests, plant trees, and restore ecosystems.
We receive this appreciation with pride and humility. What we have achieved in this small Central American country can be done anywhere, Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada said when receiving the award.
The city of Milan in Italy received the garbage category award for the city’s work to reduce food waste by distributing leftovers from groceries and restaurants to those in need.
Other winners include environmental projects in the Bahamas, India, Germany and Thailand.
Actors Emma ThompsonEmma Watson and David Oyelowo helped present the awards, while artists such as Coldplay and Ed Sheeran performed during the televised awards ceremony.
The award ceremony will take place before world leaders meet in Glasgow for the UN Climate Summit COP26, which begins on October 31. Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, are both expected to attend the climate summit.
“Unapologetic writer. Bacon enthusiast. Introvert. Evil troublemaker. Friend of animals everywhere.”
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