Mumbai

Indian finalists of Earthshot Prize stand out due to their strong connection to people, genuine consideration towards their communities, reflecting their culture and desire to return the support they receive, said a top official of Earthshot Prize - a prestigious global environmental award.

Speaking to PTI Videos in an interview at the recently concluded Mumbai Climate Week, Earthshot Prize CEO Jason Knauf highlighted that Indian finalists rank among the strongest technology innovators, and commended their confident yet grounded presence on global platforms.

Mumbai has been announced as the host city for the sixth annual Earthshot Prize in November 2026, with the announcement made during the Mumbai Climate Week.

"The Indian finalists have always been close to our hearts. What stands out is their strong connection to people. More than any other country, India's finalists deeply consider their communities. At the same time, they are among the strongest technology innovators in the cohort," Knauf said.

"They are highly educated and speak confidently on global stages such as New York, London, and Washington while staying grounded," he added.

Founded by Britain's Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot Prize is a global environmental award designed to discover and scale innovative solutions to the world's pressing environmental crises.

The Earthshot Prize CEO underscored that securing investment is one of the key challenges for innovators, as some require philanthropic funding to test early-stage technologies, while others attract significant capital, even though the process remains demanding.

"We focus on supporting the leaders themselves, and are committed to the long term. It is not just about scaling a business; the Earthshot Prize community is driven by repairing the planet and helping those who face the climate crisis," Knauf told PTI.

When asked about the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in climate action, he said that it can immensely help climate and nature movements, but also acknowledged the amount of energy AI and data centres consume.

Knauf said investment is being rolled out to attract more AI data centre development, and noted that India has strong solutions for water restoration - a crucial aspect given the significant water demands of such facilities, as well as for accelerating renewable energy.

"Some countries are not addressing this issue seriously. I hope India can become a global AI hub, using AI responsibly in both deployment and resource management. India can show the right way to do it," the Earthshot Prize CEO told PTI.

According to Knauf, the innovators, working alongside the Earthshot Prize, protected and restored over one million hectares of land and oceans, and raised USD 5 million in investment capital since becoming finalists.

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"Our goal is simply to support these innovators and see what they can accomplish. We believe their achievements could increase tenfold as solutions mature," he said, adding that renewable energy solutions from their cohort delivered clean power to over 200 million people.

The Earthshot team has been working across renewable energy, food waste, sustainable textiles, and more.