Earthshot Prize Report Identifies 51 Environmental Solutions That Could Transform the Planet Within Five Years

London, UK – September 10, 2026

New research released today identifies 51 environmental solutions that could trigger rapid, transformative change to repair the planet within the next five years, according to a comprehensive study by the Earthshot Prize and the University of Exeter.

The report, "Positive Tipping Points: Accelerating system change to repair our planet," builds on Professor Tim Lenton's pioneering work on climate thresholds and expands positive tipping-point science across all five Earthshot goals: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.

The findings arrive as the planet approaches dangerous negative tipping points—such as potential dieback of the Amazon rainforest and collapse of polar ice sheets—where ecosystem harm becomes irreversible. But the same tipping point science reveals opportunities for cascading progress where adoption lowers costs, success attracts investment, and policies spread across regions.

Professor Tim Lenton, chair in climate change and Earth system science at the University of Exeter and founding director of the Global Systems Institute, said the research identifies the tipping points that collectively represent the best chance of repairing our planet.

"To reverse damage to our ecosystems before it's too late, we need to unlock positive tipping points, where progress builds on itself, costs fall with scale, and recovery becomes self-propelling. This is why this research is so relevant and needed, as it identifies the tipping points that collectively represent the best chance of repairing our planet and how we can reach them."

The research shows clean energy as the highest-leverage transition. Solar and wind power have already crossed positive tipping points in many major markets—solar power costs have fallen approximately 90% in the past decade. As deployment grows, manufacturing costs fall further, unlocking additional deployment that drives costs lower still and attracts more investment. Today, solar is the cheapest source of electricity in most of the world, and cheaper clean power improves the economics of electric transport, clean buildings, industrial processes, and cleaner air.

Marine protected areas represent another self-reinforcing system. Well-designed and well-enforced ocean conservation has produced visible recovery of fish stocks and biodiversity within years. As coastal communities have reaped the benefits, protected areas have expanded and progress has accelerated, strengthening food security and climate resilience. The High Seas Treaty came into force in January 2026, with more than 140 countries backing efforts to close gaps in ocean conservation and protect biodiversity in international waters.

Clean cooking and household energy show similar momentum. Pay-as-you-go solar and clean cooking businesses are scaling across East and Southern Africa, approaching tipping points in several markets. In Latin America and parts of Asia, the liquefied petroleum gas transition is substantially complete, bringing health benefits to millions who previously relied on polluting fuels.

Dr. Steven R. Smith, lead author of the report and research fellow in the University of Exeter's Green Futures Solutions team, said the research looked at 51 solution areas across nature, oceans, air, waste, and climate and found that progress in one area often depends on progress in another.

"We're not claiming every system is about to tip. Our report shows where the self-reinforcing mechanisms are and what governments, investors and innovators can do to unlock them."

The research sets out three prerequisites needed across all five Earthshots for solutions to tip: affordability (the desired solution must be cost-competitive with the damaging incumbent), accessibility (it must be practically and geographically available to those who need to adopt it), and attractiveness (it must perform well enough, with enough social proof, to make adoption the obvious choice).

A central finding is that the five Earthshots are deeply interconnected, sharing the same conditions, infrastructure, and risks within a single system. This means certain interventions, such as the clean electricity cascade, could accelerate positive tipping points across all five Earthshots, while barriers, such as the Global South investment gap, could stall progress in the regions that need it most.

Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, said the research explodes the myth that solutions to climate and nature are out of reach.

"For too long, a sense has prevailed that solutions to climate and nature are out of reach. This new research explodes that myth once and for all. Devastating wildfires, extreme heat and floods are a clarion call for change. We must move faster to repair our planet. This pivotal research gives us reasons for optimism."

Knauf added that the Earthshot Prize will apply the latest science to find and back the solutions capable of triggering exponential progress for the planet by 2030.

The research comes after a northern summer marked by extreme heat and fires, and as the world prepares for an unprecedented El Niño event. The Earthshot Prize, launched by Prince William in 2021, awarded its first major prizes in 2024 to solutions addressing plastic pollution, forest conservation, and clean air.

The University of Exeter, home to the Global Systems Institute where Professor Lenton has researched climate tipping points since the 1990s, will collaborate with the Earthshot Prize to identify solutions with the potential to trigger rapid systems change based on the report's findings.

Source: Phys.org, September 10, 2026. Earthshot Prize, September 10, 2026. University of Exeter, September 10, 2026.