Seoana Sherry-Brennan
Digital Communications and Prize Engagement Officer
22 Apr 2021
After more than a year of restrictions, health anxiety and acclimatising to living through a screen, life around the world is slowly returning to “normal”. However, our planet cannot – and should not – return to business-as-usual. The last few centuries have depleted the Earth’s natural resources and caused irreversible damage to the environment. But, as we start to see the first glimmers of light at the end of the lockdown tunnel, we need to ensure that our attitude and behaviour towards the Earth doesn’t go back to how it was before.
Earth Day 2021 takes place today, and the theme for this year is Restore Our Earth™, which focuses on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. It is an opportunity for us to take a step back and reflect on what we have done wrong in the past, and assess what we need to do going forwards in order to improve the health of the planet. The past 12 months have demonstrated that global change can happen, as we all strove to battle against the pandemic and preserve our health. Now, the same must be done for the health of the earth.
Across Nesta Challenges, we work with numerous innovative thinkers and changemakers, who are driving positive environmental action. To mark Earth Day, we have gathered a list of some of the most impressive and compelling ideas and innovations that aim to make the world around us a better place. We also wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of the prizes which are playing an instrumental role in tackling climate change, single use plastics and some of the planet’s other biggest environmental issues.
Million Cool Roofs Challenge
The Million Cool Roofs Challenge is a global competition to rapidly scale up the deployment of highly solar-reflective “cool” roofs in developing countries suffering heat stress and lacking widespread access to cooling services.
Run by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) in collaboration with the Global Cool Cities Alliance, Sustainable Energy for All and Nesta Challenges, US$1 million will be awarded later this year to the team that has demonstrated the best sustainable and transferable model for rapid deployment of cool roofs and meets the judging criteria. It was recently named a ‘Climate Policy Breakthrough’ by Apolitical.
Innovation in Water Challenge
The Innovation in Water Challenge is the first in a series of Challenges being run as part of Ofwat’s £200 million Innovation Fund. The aim of the Fund is to create an innovative and collaborative water sector that is well-placed to meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment in the years to come.
On Wednesday 20th April 2021, the 11 winners of the Innovation in Water Challenge were announced, and includes a number of projects which aspire to address various climate issues. These include:
Climate Smart Cities Challenge
Nesta Challenges worked with various partners to deliver the Climate Smart Cities Challenge open call. This was the first stage of the Climate Smart Cities Challenge and an opportunity for cities to apply to be a partner to run an open innovation competition that will invite a global pool of technologists, businesses and investors to develop, test and scale cutting-edge solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a better future for all.
European Social Innovation Competition 2019
The 2019 edition of the Competition was ‘Challenging Plastic Waste’ and sought the most innovative projects, products, services, business models and collaborations that tackle plastic waste. Three winners were selected:
The Big Green Challenge
The Big Green Challenge was a £1 million challenge prize to stimulate and support radical new community-led responses to climate change in the UK. The finalists reduced CO2 emissions in their communities by between 10% and 46% in the delivery year of the Challenge. The winners were:
In order to support the ongoing work to mitigate climate change, reduce carbon emissions and address the other threats facing the planet, Nesta Challenges will continue to develop challenge prizes in this area. We are currently scoping out a challenge to tackle ocean plastics in sub-saharan Africa, for example.
While the pace of destruction committed against the planet has been mind-blowing, the pandemic has proven that there is a way to turn it around. For instance over the last year, levels of air pollution have decreased in certain regions, as many means of transportation, including air travel, came to a halt. Perhaps by combining stronger global restrictions on travel with ecological innovations, like the ones listed above, we can go some way towards reversing the damage. 2020 may have taken a lot away from all of us, but it has given us the precious opportunity to try and save the planet – and that’s something we shouldn’t take for granted.
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