Prince William heartened by scale of ideas from Earthshot Award winners

CAPE TOWN - The winners of the fourth annual Earthshot Awards are wasting no time and getting back to work after clinching the coveted eco-prize. 

The five recipients of one million pounds in grant funding include an initiative that saved a rare antelope species from extinction in Kazakhstan, a Kenyan company that uses solar-powered fridges to stop harvested crops from spoiling and an alliance of at least 119 countries that aims to protect 30% of land and oceans by 2030.

IN PICS, VIDEO: Africa wins big at Earthshot Week 2024

A youth-led team in Ghana has clinched the 'Clean Our Air' award for a campaign to cut greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution in Ghana and Uganda by 70%.

Francis Nderitu from Kenya was the winner in the 'Build a Waste-Free World' category.

Earthshot founder, Britain's Prince William has wrapped the week, heartened that leading climate champions gathered in Cape Town understood the assignment.

"That's why we're here to champion the dreams, the thinkers and the innovators who share an ambition to build a better more sustainable world. We'll do everything we can to support them and help speed their solutions to scale."

The prize to 'Revive Our Oceans' went to a coalition of 119 countries with a goal to protect 30 percent of land and oceans by 2030.

Other winners include a simple technology to capture waste heat and convert it into electricity - for use in industries like cement and steel production.

The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative was also recognised for saving the critically endangered Saiga antelope from extinction.