NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The list of environmental projects that have been recommended for the prestigious 2023 Earthshot Prize features a project from The Bahamas: Rick Fox’s carbon-absorbing Partanna.
The Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA) has nominated thirteen different regional initiatives in total. According to a press release from the CCSA, each project matches the criteria set for the £1 million ($1.2 million USD) prize, which “rewards organizations and individuals who are working to enact widespread environmental change targeted at repairing the planet over the next ten years.”
Founded in 2020 by the Royal Foundation, the Earthshot Prize has one winner for each of the five categories: Protect & Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.
The projects nominated by the CCSA hail from Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Costa Rica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago. Along with these regional initiatives, the CCSA has also nominated another thirteen projects based outside of the Caribbean but focused on implementation in the region.
“Overall, the 26 projects that the CCSA has nominated highlight the amount of innovation being developed in and for the Caribbean, with cutting-edge initiatives in sustainable building materials, climate-smart agriculture, and nature-based solutions spearheading the pack,” the release read.
Bahamas-based Coral Vita (Revive Our Oceans) previously received top honors during the inaugural award ceremony in 2021. The CCSA hopes to replicate this success in this year’s iteration.
Newly-nominated Partanna is a building material being developed by Fox and architect Sam Marshall that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It is said to consist of natural and recycled ingredients.
Racquel Moses, CEO of the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator and UNFCCC Net Zero Ambassador expressed pride at the “locally-led and regionally-focused projects” being highlighted through this award program.
“These initiatives are improving the sustainability of our communities and providing opportunities for new pathways in socio-economic development – their importance cannot be understated, and neither can their innovation.”
The release described the CCSA’s central objective as “to help transform the region’s economy by fast-tracking sound public and private investment opportunities that support climate action and economic growth through sustainable development.”
Finalists are expected to be announced in the final quarter of 2023.
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