London, Oct 26: The new Earthshot annual awards were created by Prince William to reward efforts to save planet Earth from adverse effects of climate change and global warming. Five winners were announced, and given a reward of 1 million pounds each. India’s Vidyut Mohan’s ‘Takachar’ was one of the winners. The idea won the ‘Clean our Air’ prize. His portable machine uses technology that converts crop residue into sellable bio-products like fuel and fertiliser, helping bring down air pollution. Farmers then no longer have to burn waste and stubble, the main cause of air pollution in north India. This machine can be attached to tractors in remote farms.
The other winners include: Costa Rica, won in the ‘Protect and Restore natural Ecosystems’ category; Bahamas, that aim to restore the world’s dying coral reefs; Italy, won in the ‘Waste-free World’ category; Thailand and Germany won in the ‘Fix our Climate’ category, with their renewable energy projects. Each winner was awarded a one-of-a-kind prize medal, designed by award-winning Dutch artist Christien Meindertsma, inspired by the Earthrise photo taken in 1968 by Apollo 8.
