Cape Town's response to water scarcity, wildfires earned it right to host Earthshot - organisers

CAPE TOWN - Organisers of Earthshot say Cape Town’s disaster response to water scarcity and wildfires earned it the host city rights for the global environmental summit.

At the height of the metro’s water crisis in 2017, level seven restrictions were instituted and residents were queuing for water at natural springs across the Peninsula.

Global environmental experts are in Cape Town this week to enhance climate action.

The summit was founded by Prince William in 2020.

Earthshot CEO, Hannah Jones, said the journey to secure Cape Town as a host city started 18 months ago.

It’s the first time this event is hosted in Africa.

She said the metro’s climate change resilience strategy earned it the nod.

"Some of the frontline experiences that Cape Town has had with things like coming close to Day Zero and climate-induced issues like rain and forest fires. We wanted to come here to celebrate Cape Town’s commitment to becoming more sustainable as a model to other cities and other regions around the world."

At least 1,000 eco-initiatives from Africa have been nominated for the coveted Earthshot Prize.  

Five individuals or organisations will each walk away with £1 million for their winning sustainable development initiative at the headline event on Wednesday night.