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GoGreenNation news

PGE rate hikes: Oregon regulators say they can’t dismiss increase request

News Feed
Friday, April 26, 2024

The Oregon Public Utility Commission declined to dismiss Portland General Electric’s newest rate increase proposal, rejecting a motion filed by a state nonprofit group that advocates for utility customers.The decision Thursday means PGE’s proposed 7.5% increase will go through the regular lengthy rate-setting process.The increase likely would go into effect next January if approved – though the utility may file for other increases later this year.The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board had asked the commission to throw out PGE’s rate request, saying people are reeling from record high bills. It’s the first time the board has made such a request.PGE increased rates for its electricity by 18% on Jan. 1 and 12% in January 2023.Under Oregon law, a regulated utility may file a proposal to change general rates at any time. Typically, the Public Utilities Commission conducts an investigation that can take up to a year to determine if rate changes are warranted. Various parties, including the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, participate in these cases.The Public Utilities Commission said it did not have the legal authority to dismiss the utility’s latest rate increase proposal.The commission also said throwing out a rate filing undermines the integrity of its rate-setting mechanism and commission deliberations.“A reactive decision could erode the value of the long-established, evidence-based process for consideration of requests for rate adjustments,” the commission said.Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, said his group was disappointed with the decision.“We think there is a big problem with PGE. It is operating under an ‘all of the above’ business model,” said Jenks, referring to PGE’s strategy to invest in an array of technologies from wind farms to battery storage to decarbonize its system and meet ambitious state mandates. Oregon requires PGE to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and by 100% by 2040.“Strategy involves identifying the best way to deploy your resources,” Jenks told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “It requires prioritization. PGE acts as if everything is an investment opportunity and their customers have unlimited wallets.”PGE spokesperson Drew Hanson said PGE “will continue to be fully engaged in the public rate review process administered by the Oregon Public Utility Commission.”The governor-appointed three-person Public Utilities Commission evaluates costs – such as operating and maintenance expenses, asset depreciation and cost of capital – and expected revenues, then determines rates that allow for “prudent and reasonable costs” to be recovered from customers, according to state law.Typically, said Jenks, the commission approves rates at a lower level than what utilities request. But, he added, PGE has filed multiple rate increase proposals in recent years for power costs, renewable energy projects, electric vehicles, wildfire mitigation, storm recovery and energy efficiency among others and they add up throughout the year.Rate changes usually go into effect in the middle of winter when energy costs are already high, so the increase hits harder, Jenks said.The public can comment on PGE’s latest increase proposal at a virtual event on May 16, via an online form or by emailing the commission at PUC.PublicComments@puc.oregon.gov. Comments must include the docket number, UE 435.— Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154.

The Oregon Public Utility Commission declined to dismiss Portland General Electric’s newest rate increase proposal, rejecting a motion filed by a state nonprofit group that advocates for utility customers.

The Oregon Public Utility Commission declined to dismiss Portland General Electric’s newest rate increase proposal, rejecting a motion filed by a state nonprofit group that advocates for utility customers.

The decision Thursday means PGE’s proposed 7.5% increase will go through the regular lengthy rate-setting process.

The increase likely would go into effect next January if approved – though the utility may file for other increases later this year.

The Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board had asked the commission to throw out PGE’s rate request, saying people are reeling from record high bills. It’s the first time the board has made such a request.

PGE increased rates for its electricity by 18% on Jan. 1 and 12% in January 2023.

Under Oregon law, a regulated utility may file a proposal to change general rates at any time. Typically, the Public Utilities Commission conducts an investigation that can take up to a year to determine if rate changes are warranted. Various parties, including the Oregon Citizens’ Utility Board, participate in these cases.

The Public Utilities Commission said it did not have the legal authority to dismiss the utility’s latest rate increase proposal.

The commission also said throwing out a rate filing undermines the integrity of its rate-setting mechanism and commission deliberations.

“A reactive decision could erode the value of the long-established, evidence-based process for consideration of requests for rate adjustments,” the commission said.

Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, said his group was disappointed with the decision.

“We think there is a big problem with PGE. It is operating under an ‘all of the above’ business model,” said Jenks, referring to PGE’s strategy to invest in an array of technologies from wind farms to battery storage to decarbonize its system and meet ambitious state mandates. Oregon requires PGE to reduce its carbon emissions by 80% by 2030 and by 100% by 2040.

“Strategy involves identifying the best way to deploy your resources,” Jenks told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “It requires prioritization. PGE acts as if everything is an investment opportunity and their customers have unlimited wallets.”

PGE spokesperson Drew Hanson said PGE “will continue to be fully engaged in the public rate review process administered by the Oregon Public Utility Commission.”

The governor-appointed three-person Public Utilities Commission evaluates costs – such as operating and maintenance expenses, asset depreciation and cost of capital – and expected revenues, then determines rates that allow for “prudent and reasonable costs” to be recovered from customers, according to state law.

Typically, said Jenks, the commission approves rates at a lower level than what utilities request. But, he added, PGE has filed multiple rate increase proposals in recent years for power costs, renewable energy projects, electric vehicles, wildfire mitigation, storm recovery and energy efficiency among others and they add up throughout the year.

Rate changes usually go into effect in the middle of winter when energy costs are already high, so the increase hits harder, Jenks said.

The public can comment on PGE’s latest increase proposal at a virtual event on May 16, via an online form or by emailing the commission at PUC.PublicComments@puc.oregon.gov. Comments must include the docket number, UE 435.

— Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154.

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Richard Tice has 15-year record of supporting ‘net stupid zero’ initiatives

Firms led by deputy Reform UK leader since 2011 have shown commitment to saving energy and cutting CO2 emissionsUK politics live – latest updatesHe never seems to tire of deriding “net stupid zero”, but Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, has a 15-year business record of support for sustainability and green energy initiatives.The Reform party has made opposition to green energy and net zero part of its policy platform. Its founder, Nigel Farage, has called net zero policies a “lunacy”; the party has called to lift the ban on fracking for fossil gas; and one of the first Reform-led councils, Kent, rescinded last month its declaration of a climate emergency. Continue reading...

He never seems to tire of deriding “net stupid zero”, but Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, has a 15-year business record of support for sustainability and green energy initiatives.The Reform party has made opposition to green energy and net zero part of its policy platform. Its founder, Nigel Farage, has called net zero policies a “lunacy”; the party has called to lift the ban on fracking for fossil gas; and one of the first Reform-led councils, Kent, rescinded last month its declaration of a climate emergency.However, companies led by Tice since 2011 boasted of their commitments to saving energy, cutting CO2 emissions and environmental responsibility. One told investors it had introduced a “green charter” to “mitigate our impact on climate change” and later hired a “full-time sustainability manager” as part of “its focus on energy efficiency and sustainability”.Another said it was “keen to play its part in reducing emissions for cleaner air” and said it had saved “hundreds of tonnes of CO²” by installing solar cells on the rooftops of its properties.A glance at Tice’s account on X reveals contempt for warnings of climate breakdown and efforts to mitigate it. Last year he said: “We are not in climate emergency; nor is there a climate crisis.” In May he stated: “Solar farms are wrong at every level” and insisted they would “destroy food security, destroy jobs [and] destroy property values”.He recently adopted the slogan “net stupid zero”, describing efforts to neutralise the UK’s fossil fuel emissions as “the most costly self-inflicted wound in modern British history”.But Steff Wright, a sustainability entrepreneur and former commercial tenant of Tice, found that statements in the annual reports from CLS Holdings and Quidnet Reit, property companies led by Tice, contradicted his public position.Wright said: “These reports reveal that Tice can clearly see the financial, social and environmental benefits of investing time, money and energy into sustainability focused initiatives.“He is a businessperson, and if he has chosen to be a chief executive of at least two companies who have taken steps to reduce carbon emissions and implement energy-efficient innovations, it’s because there is a business case to do so.”In 2010, the year Tice joined CLS Holdings as deputy chief executive, the company said it was committed to “a responsible and forward-looking approach to environmental issues” by encouraging, among other things, “the use of alternative energy supplies”. The following year, when Tice was promoted to chief executive, the company implemented the green charter and hired a sustainability manager. In 2012, CLS celebrated completing its “zero net emissions” building, adding: “The board acknowledges the group’s impact on society and the environment and … seeks to either both minimise and mitigate them, or to harness them in order to affect positive change.”In the company’s 2013 report, climate change was identified as a “sustainability risk”, requiring “board responsibility”, “dedicated specialist personnel” and “increased due diligence”. The company’s efforts were rewarded in 2014, when it was able to tell shareholders it had exceeded its CO2 emissions reduction targets.Tice launched Quidnet Reit, a property investment company, the following year. When it published its first full accounts, covering 2021, Tice was also chair of Reform UK, and already setting out his stall against “net stupid”. But for his company, fossil fuel emissions remained a priority.The 2021 report stated: “The company is keen to play its part in reducing emissions for cleaner air,” and detailed investments in solar power which “importantly … will reduce CO² emissions by some 70 tonnes per annum”.Quidnet’s emissions reduction efforts continued into 2022 and 2023, with the company stating both years that its solar investments were “saving hundreds of tonnes of CO²” a year. However, after a Guardian report last year covered some of Quidnet’s environmental commitments, no mention was made of them in last year’s report.skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionWright said: “Solar initiatives and other energy efficiency schemes have benefited Tice’s property companies whilst he was in charge, but now … there is a political advantage to gain Tice is all too happy to label these schemes as ‘perilous’ for investors.”Tice said critics were “in danger of confusing apples with pears”, insisting the comparisons revealed no contradiction. “I have never said don’t reduce emissions, be they CO2 or other, and where sensible use technology to do so efficiently,” he said.“Solar panels on roofs, selling electricity to tenant[s] underneath are [an] excellent double use of [a] roof and involve no subsidies. Solar farms on farmland is insane, involves large public subsidies and often include dangerous [battery energy storage] systems.”Tice said that when he ran CLS, net zero was not a legal requirement. “My issue has always been the multibillion subsidies, fact that renewables have driven electricity prices higher, made British industries uncompetitive and destroyed hundreds thousand jobs,.“Also in annual reports, because of [the] madness of ESG, so banks and shareholder became obsessed with emissions so companies felt pressured to report on all this. ESG is also mad, stands for Extremely Stupid Garbage, and is now rapidly sensibly being abandoned by many companies and banks.“So my position has been clear and logical and never involved subsidies. Big difference.”

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We Must Fight for Our National Parks

The national park system includes crucial spaces that hold our shared history and biodiversity and the promise of a livable future.

In this American moment, there are many concerns and crises. The country’s national park system might not be at the top of everyone’s list, but these parks impact our lives in ways we often don’t realize. We go to national parks to learn new perspectives, find peace and solitude in nature and history, and make cherished memories with our loved ones. By securing these spaces for us, national parks protect the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the food we grow. These public lands hold our history, preserving our culture and the stories that make up our identities and values as Americans. They also provide livelihoods, not only to the rangers who work in them but also to the small communities and businesses that surround them, contributing almost $56 billion annually to the nation’s economy. People are seeking them out now more than ever: A record number visited National Park Service (NPS) sites in 2024. Plus, the NPS is viewed most favorably of all major federal agencies, with the least amount of partisan division in public opinion of the sixteen agencies included in a Pew Research Center report last year. Following the events of November 2024, I naïvely thought (or held on to hope) that due to all of these factors and more, the Trump Administration would ignore Project 2025 and avoid damaging cuts to the agency. How could they come after an agency that is so beloved by such a vast majority of Americans? But if we’ve learned anything over the past nine months, it’s that we must not underestimate the carnage this administration will enthusiastically inflict on people and institutions. The NPS is currently navigating a 24 percent cut to its permanent staff and has lost more than $260 million in funding, in addition to a federal hiring freeze and additional cuts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Many permanent positions simply can’t be filled during the busiest seasons, and seasonal hiring delays also heavily impact operations. The Trump Administration is also directing NPS units to rewrite history by Executive Order, soliciting visitors to report via QR code “negative” signage and exhibits that in fact explain the complex and nuanced history of our nation’s integral moments of progress. Our national parks are under attack in more ways than this, but what’s happening on the ground? I spent the past two years traveling to twenty-three different NPS sites for graduate research and formerly worked for the service in Glacier National Park in Montana. My research team studies ranger-led public programs in national parks, such as guided hikes, tours, and campground programs. We systematically observe these programs and survey the audience about the experience afterward. I’ve spent a lot of time with frontline interpretive rangers and audiences, and the questions and comments expressing support for these brave public servants have been abundant since January. In March, I observed several visitors to California and Nevada’s Death Valley asking rangers leading programs about the challenges the park is facing, and expressing their dismay at what DOGE was doing to the National Park Service. One question on our survey that audience members fill out asks them to write out what this program inspired them to do. While entering the data, we noticed that many participants wrote comments such as, “Vote against Trump and anyone who doesn’t support the national parks,” and, “Write Congress to stop the terminations of the employees.” Visitors are also flooding the QR code system for reporting signage and exhibits with messages of support for the NPS and irrelevant comments to slow down the review process. Fighting the attacks against the NPS is certainly at the top of park visitors’ minds, and the battle is being brought to the streets as well. Grassroots organizations like the Resistance Rangers and The Wilderness Society have been organizing resistance and resilience, getting the word out through podcasts and social media channels, and rallying protests across the country. Alt National Park Service is another grassroots group of NPS supporters who use social media to motivate action. With more than 4.4 million followers on Facebook, the group uses its platform to spread information and call out outrageous attacks by the Trump Administration. NPS employees are also unionizing through the National Federation of Federal Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, and others to protect against additional threats, including at Yosemite National Park and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. They join other NPS units that have unionized in the past. Despite illegal firings, understaffing, burnout, and other daily challenges, brave public servants continue to show up with passion and joy for the stewardship of what environmentalist Wallace Stegner called America’s “best idea.” With a smile, they demonstrate resilience to hundreds of visitors at an information desk, grit their teeth against the pouring rain while conducting plant surveys, and paddle dozens of miles to set nets that remove invasive fish species. They haven’t given up, and neither should we. “I’m incredibly heartened by people stepping up to advocate for national parks,” one NPS worker told me. “Through this work, they’re recognizing the power they have to make a difference when they get organized. It makes me hopeful to see these people finding their voices and learning how to make change, both in parks and in their own communities.” The massive outcry and collective action from those who love public lands have worked in some regards. In June, the Senate removed a provision from Trump’s budget bill that would have sold off millions of acres of public lands, a major win. While the fight is ongoing, there is no shortage of passionate people who believe in the agency’s mission to preserve “unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” The U.S. National Park System represents more than historic buildings, forests, mountains, and rivers. It includes crucial spaces that hold our shared history, biodiversity, and the promise of a livable future. These spaces belong to each and every one of us, not corporations or politicians. Now, more than ever, we need bold voices, fierce protectors, and unwavering advocates to stand up against exploitation and greed. Whether you’re hiking a trail, sharing science, organizing your community, or calling out injustice, you are part of a powerful movement. And you can take action right now. (Personally, I love the 5 Calls app, which helps to streamline daily advocacy by helping constituents contact their representatives about issues that matter to them.) Every action matters. Every voice counts. Together, we can defend the wild and historic places that heal us, ground us, and remind us of what’s worth fighting for.  Mary Grace Larson is an environmental advocate. After working for the National Park Service at Glacier National Park in Montana, she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in forest resources and environmental conservation at Virginia Tech. Read more by Mary Grace Larson October 8, 2025 1:54 PM

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Regulators know PG&E, Edison are slow to hook up solar. Why are there no penalties?

PG&E and Southern California Edison routinely blow their deadlines to hook up new solar panels, an advocacy group says. But after years of complaints they have not been punished.

In summary PG&E and Southern California Edison routinely blow their deadlines to hook up new solar panels, an advocacy group says. But after years of complaints they have not been punished. The state’s two largest utilities routinely drag their feet connecting solar panels to the electric grid, missing state-mandated deadlines as much as 73% of the time, according to a complaint filed to regulators by solar advocates. The complaint filed by a solar energy advocacy group urges the California Public Utilities Commission to hold utilities accountable when they fail to meet such deadlines. The commission is formally reviewing it.  The advocates have complained for years that such delays hinder California’s transition to renewables. State utility regulators are separately revisiting the process for connecting rooftop solar to the grid, including examining whether and how the utility commission should require utilities to comply with the timelines it established years ago. But the commission has yet to reprimand utilities for regularly missing these deadlines. “The rule is there, but the commission hasn’t chosen to enforce [it],” said Kevin Luo, policy and market development manager for the California Solar & Storage Association, a group advocating for the adoption of solar energy that filed the complaint. “The rule is there, but the commission hasn’t chosen to enforce [it].”Kevin Luo, California Solar & Storage Association When Californians add solar panels to their rooftops, they begin a complex “interconnection” process led by the utilities to ensure the array is correctly installed and able to provide power for both the customer and the grid, which receives power the customer does not use. For each interconnection step, the utility is allotted a certain amount of time, ranging from five business days to 90 calendar days. The timelines for several of the more extensive steps – including design, construction and installation – were clarified in a 2020 decision after solar panel owners complained that California’s major investor-owned utilities were blowing their deadlines.  The delays can have significant financial consequences for panel owners, widening the period after they have laid out money for solar cells but before they see a reduction in their power consumption or payments from selling excess solar power back to utilities. Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric all report their compliance with these timelines on a quarterly basis. The reporting is for projects over 30 kilowatts, which are often for businesses, not residential homes, and account for the majority of solar projects. These data show that PG&E and Edison routinely exceed the allotted windows.  In the complaint, filed in late August, the California Solar & Storage Association noted the utilities take longer than permitted to connect customers between 19% and 73% of the time, depending on which stage of the process is examined.  For example, the utilities are given 10 business days to acknowledge someone’s request for interconnection – PG&E’s median time for this step was 20 days, with its longest being 245 days. One of the most crucial steps is a system impact study, which looks at how the addition of a customer’s solar array will affect the grid and identifies any potential issues with hookup. PG&E kept to its timeline 49% of the time, while Edison met its deadline 43% of the time, according to the complaint.  San Diego Gas & Electric typically meets its deadlines and wasn’t included in the solar association’s complaint about timeliness. PG&E spokesperson Mike Gazda responded to the complaint by stating that “PG&E is a strong advocate for solar energy and has interconnected nearly 900,000 solar customers—more than any other U.S. utility—to support customers who have made the choice to go solar, strengthen California’s energy grid and reduce our state’s carbon footprint. We look forward to addressing the latest claims made by the solar gorup through the appropriate regulatory channels.”  Edison spokesperson Jeff Monford said the company takes “complaints seriously and [is] working with the California Public Utilities Commission to thoroughly address any issues related to our interconnection processes.” Utilities have previously said that delays can be caused by permitting issues, unfamiliar new technologies, or other agencies needing to be involved.  So what happens when they break the rules?  The utilities commission declined to lay out specific penalties when it clarified the timelines in 2020. It rejected a recommendation from a working group including industry representatives and consumer advocates to “clearly indicate that financial penalties” could happen if a utility fails to meet the timelines on 95% of projects. “The commission must first determine whether timeline certainty is improving,” the decision said. Regulators could set out penalties in the future “if it determines such a construct would support timely interconnection.”  The commission declined to comment because the case is an “ongoing adjudicatory proceeding,” Adam Cranfill, spokesperson, said.   Without some kind of punishment, advocates argue, there’s not only no incentive for utilities to follow the rules, there’s a disincentive because of how the money flows. “From their perspective, solar and storage is competition for them,” Luo said. “Having people with their own solar and storage reduces the need to continually expand the grid and build out transmission lines.”  California’s rooftop solar industry has been mired in controversy in recent years because of the state’s “net energy metering” program, which governs how much utilities are required to pay solar customers for extra energy their panels generate. The program is meant to incentivize adopting renewable energy sources and offset the significant cost of rooftop solar, but utilities argued it creates an unfair cost burden for those without solar who pay more for costs such as grid maintenance. As a result, the current iteration of the program pays out significantly less than prior versions. Three environmental groups sued over the change, and the California Supreme Court ruled last month that the lower courts should reexamine the case’s details instead of deferring to utility regulators. 

Business
Energy

If Your North Star Is Lost, New Techniques Can Point You South

The writer Tristan Gooley describes how a pair of familiar constellations can help a person navigate in darkness when other methods fail.

Long before GPS and magnetic compasses, written maps or even writing, people oriented themselves under the cosmos using rules of thumb. Orally transmitted knowledge has repeatedly shown that Indigenous peoples all over the world have sophisticated understandings of the stars. And in early literature like Homer’s “Odyssey,” the nymph Calypso teaches Odysseus how to sail home by keeping the Great Bear constellation to his left.By now, it should seem like there is nothing new under the billions of suns that make up the night sky that could help people navigate in the dark. But a British author, Tristan Gooley, writes in a new book about following environmental signs throughout the year, “The Hidden Seasons,” that he has identified a new pair of hacks to find one’s way through the world by starlight. The book is published by the independent publisher The Experiment and comes out on Oct. 21.Mr. Gooley, a proponent of what he calls natural navigation, preaches attention to common patterns in nature like a sommelier describing wine — the shadows cast by the sun here, the tree angled there, the moss greener on this side of the rock.As part of that work he has invented, or perhaps reinvented, a couple of wayfinding methods.For example: After sunset in midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere, dress warm and go outdoors to a spot where you have a relatively unobstructed view to the south. Rolling up to the sky from the southeast, you’ll see a letter “V” made up of bright stars in the constellation Taurus. When two particular stars in that “V” are stacked in an invisible vertical line, let that line drop down to the horizon, where it will point due south.Or suppose it’s a midsummer night instead. You can perform the same kind of trick (in lighter clothing) with a pattern of stars that resemble a teapot inside the constellation Sagittarius. When two of these stars, Ascella and Kaus Media, align horizontally in the sky, you’re in business.

Business
Indigenous
Nature

William will travel to Brazil for Earthshot awards ceremony

Fifteen projects are shortlisted for a chance of winning the top £1m prizes at next month's environmental awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

William will travel to Brazil for Earthshot awards ceremonyDaniela RelphSenior royal correspondentPA MediaThe Prince of Wales will travel to Rio de Janeiro next month for the Earthshot Prize ceremony – the first time the awards have been hosted in Latin America.Earthshot, created by Prince William five years ago, awards £1m every year to five projects for their environmental innovations.There have been almost 2,500 nominees this year from 72 countries - this year's winners will be chosen by Prince William and his Earthshot Prize Council which includes the actor, Cate Blanchett and Jordan's Queen Rania.This year's list of finalists range from a Caribbean country to small start-up businesses.The Earthshot Prize is a 10-year project with past ceremonies held in London, Boston, Singapore and Cape Town.Kensington Palace confirmed earlier this year that the main awards ceremony will be held at Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow on 5 November.Barbados has been nominated for its global leadership on climate with the island on track to become fossil-free by 2030.The Chinese city of Guangzhou is shortlisted in the "Clean our Air" category for electrification of its public transport system. Prince William previously said he would like to take the Earthshot Prize to China.Finally, what has been billed as the world's first fully "upcycled skyscraper" makes the final list too.Sydney's Quay Quarter Tower was one of thousands of 20th century towers now reaching the end of their lifespans.Instead of demolition, which releases vast amounts of carbon and waste, a coalition of architects, engineers, building contractors and developers has effectively "upcycled" the original structure."Matter" is the only British finalist in the line-up. Based in Bristol, the business has developed a filter for washing machines removing the greatest cause of microplastics in our oceans."I feel like winning an Earthshot prize for me would be like winning an Olympic gold medal," said Adam Root, the founder of Matter.ReutersIn 2024, Actor Billy Porter and Earthshot ambassadors Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha joined the Prince of Wales on stage at the awardsIn a video message released to mark the announcement of this year's finalists, he reflected on the past five years."Back then, a decade felt a long time. George was seven, Charlotte, five, and Louis two; the thought of them in 2030 felt a lifetime away," said Prince William."But today, as we stand halfway through this critical decade, 2030 feels very real."2030 is a threshold by which future generations will judge us; it is the point at which our actions, or lack of them, will have shaped forever the trajectory of our planet."The Earthshot Prize is now one the key pieces of Prince William's public work."He has been able to build an unprecedented network of organisations," Jason Knauf, the new CEO of the Earthshot Prize, said."The philanthropists working together, the corporates that come together as part of the Earthshot prize community, the leaders who get involved. "There's never been a group of people working together on a single environment project in the way they have with the Earthshot Prize. Prince William has been completely relentless in building that network."This year, the Earthshot Prize events in Rio are in the run-up to the COP Climate Conference which is being held in Belem on the edge of the Amazon Rainforest.

Business
Climate
Forests

Suggested Viewing

Toxic Business

A documentary on the profits international chemical companies are gaining in Africa at cost of the health of small-scaled-farmers and consumers.International chemical companies sell high toxic agro-chemicals in Kenya, which are banned since long in Europe. They are banned because their ingredients cause cancer and have a major negative impact on the nature and environment. Anyhow – in developing countries like Kenya those toxic chemicals are sold without any regulations through small agro-shops all over the country. The small scaled farmers do believe in the promises of better and safer harvest those companies give. Today, the use of pesticides even inside the villages is already a daily business. Furthermore many of them already depend on hybrid seeds, old and resistant seeds supplants. Most of the consumers do not have the knowledge, how dangerous those agro-chemicals are: the WHO announced that annually 346.000 people die, caused by accidentally poisoning with those chemicals, 2/3 of them within developing countries.In the face of world food, industry is trying to push its way into the markets. On the contrary, statistics and alternative farming methods in East Africa show that it no longer needs chemicals and hybrid seeds to feed the world, but a general rethinking.

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No Lost Shoes

Our shoes go lots of places, across vast distances, and over many miles. But eventually, no matter how much we care for them, our shoes break down and usually get thrown away. Max Romey wanted to find out what happens to his old shoes, and in his film No Lost Shoes, highlights the full scale of the problem.

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Green Waste

What if every person could actually make an impact on the world? “Green Waste” takes an in-depth look at the process of recycling and waste management in the community of Flagstaff. From recycling plastic bags, to re-using glass bottles, from recycling hazardous waste to the efforts of local businesses, the film shows how every contribution, no matter how small, can collectively make the difference for a better tomorrow. Filmed and Produced under the Emerging Filmmakers Program for youth filmmakers.

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Voice of Vanilla

In the rainforests of Madagascar, vanilla offers hope to farmers hindered by the relentless tide of poverty and cyclones. How will the women responsible for vanilla cultivation weather the storms that threaten their livelihoods? Join us on this journey to uncover the truth behind one of the world’s most beloved spices and to support the women farmers at the heart of the vanilla industry.

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Let There be Light

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Taiwan was founded on agriculture in the early days. However, in the face of rapid urbanization, there was no time to build infrastructure such as sewage pipelines, and a large amount of sewage was discharged indiscriminately, causing severe water pollution. To connect domestic sewage to the water purification plant and turn it into water resources that can be continuously recycled, the sewage engineering team adopted a most humane "equation" to appease and compensate the residents disturbed by the project. They invited the residents to participate in the beautification design of the back alley, which was damaged by the engineering project, and hired old painters who have painted "Roman Holiday" and "Back to the Future" movie billboards, and new generation painters to create with colorful brushes. The colorful paintings make the originally dark, dirty, and smelly back alleys clean and bright, and people are more willing to enter the back alleys to make tea and chat, a secret paradise for locals is then created. Let’s walk into the back alleys and see how the light makers light up the back alleys with human touch and let the light penetrate the water, creating Formosa’s unique “Light Making Equation”. This action has been carried out since 2016 and will continue in the future.

Water
Business
Pollution

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