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The Climate Question: Are prizes the best solution for climate change?

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17/10/2022 GMT

Are prizes the best solution for climate change?

BBC World Service - The Climate Question, Are prizes the best solution for climate change?

From Elon Musk to Prince William, millions of dollars are up for grabs - who really wins?

From Elon Musk to Prince William, prizes for coming up with new ways to tackle climate change are all the rage. But critics say they are ineffective and elitist.

We know many of the obstacles in the way of a creating a cleaner planet - making cement green, decarbonising electricity or creating affordable clean transport. But how do we get the experts the funding they need to bring these solutions to the world?  

Many people see innovation prizes as the answer - from Prince William’s ‘Earthshot’ to Elon Musk’s ‘X-Prize’ there are hundreds of millions of dollars up for grabs. Is this the best way to find solutions to the climate crisis? Who really wins from these prizes, companies or the climate? 

Joining presenters Neal Razzell and Graihagh Jackson are –  

Marcius Extavour, Chief Scientist and Vice President for Energy and Climate at the XPrize foundation 

Robert Burrell, Professor of Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law  

Zorina Khan, Professor of Economics at Bowdoin College and Author of Inventing Ideas 

Vidyut Mohan, Co-Founder of Takachar 

Plus an interview with Hannah Ritchie from Our World In Data, on plans put forward by the New Zealand Government to tax cow burps. 


Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com 

 
Producer: Jo Casserly 
Reporter: Partha Prasad 
Researcher: Natasha Fernandes 
Series Producer: Jordan Dunbar 
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith 
Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed and Helena Warwick-Cross

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The Climate Question

Are prizes the best solution for climate change?

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