<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">Fresh thinking</h2>

A curtain of bubbles sweeps plastic from rivers. Cut flowers are recycled to make leather. An audaciousBold. plan to turn CO2 into rock. IndigenousEthnic groups who are the original or earliest-known inhabitants of an area or country: for example, Native Americans in the USA. women combining 60,000 years of wisdom with digital technology to save the Great Barrier Relief. Carbon-zero concrete and seaweed packaging.

These are some of the bright ideas shortlisted for this year's Earthshot Prize. The winners will be announced next month in five categories: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world and fix our climate.

Launched last year, the prize is inspired by JF Kennedy's 1962 "moonshot". The US president vowed to reach the moon by the decade's end. Earthshot commits £50m over ten years to support innovative solutions to Earth's biggest problems.

Every year, we dump eight million tonnes of plastic into the ocean, threatening ecosystems that support life on Earth.¹ We put over 30 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, 7% from making concrete.²

Without urgent action at the COP27The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP). talks in Egypt, the UNUnited Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns, "we will be doomed". The world is at a "tipping point", says Prince William, but these 15 projects are "reasons to be optimistic" about our future.

His words of hope come after a major UN report found the world will not limit global temperature increases to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. We are "very, very close to irreversible changes", says climate scientist Johan Rockstrom.

Ecologist Roland Geyer argues the solution is "unavoidable": ban fossil fuelsFuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming.. Other scientists, like Marie Claire Brisbois, say governments should invest in "unglamorous" existing technology: public transport, home insulation and meat-free protein.

So is the Earthshot Prize a waste of money? Prince William describes the finalists as "innovators, leaders and visionaries" directing their "time, energy, and talent" to saving the planet. Innovation is the key to our survival.

The city of Amsterdam is one of the finalists. It plans to be the world's first "circular economy" where nothing is wasted and everything is recycled. "We need to redesign the way we work, live and consume", says programme manager Rene Koop. Amsterdam could be a blueprint for the cities of the future.

Last year, David Attenborough said: "No matter what we do now, it's too late to avoid climate change." The crisis is already here and the poorest and more vulnerable are suffering. However, this does not mean it is too late to act.

Global temperatures have risen 1.2C above pre-industrial levels. A UN scientific report found that 2C of warming would be much worse than 1.5C. So any social change or new technology that limits global warming will reduce the damage of climate change.

On 16 July 1969, humans first walked on the moon. Unlike Kennedy's moonshot, there will be no precise moment to declare Earthshot a success. But scientists and politicians say we are in the "decisive decade" when words and ideas must be put into action.

Yes: Founded in 1660, the Royal Society supported innovation in science and engineering. It put Great Britain at the centre of the Industrial RevolutionA period of sudden, rapid industrialisation that transforms a country from an agricultural to an industrial economy.. The world needs new ideas for a green revolution.

No: Excitement about new technology cannot distract us from the main problem: we are addicted to fossil fuels. We must change how we live now and not wait for science to save us from ourselves.

Or... Simply, we do not know. To innovate is to take risks, explore the unknown and be ready to fail. Many ideas will lead nowhere, but we can hope one invention - like steam power - will change everything.

Audacious - Bold.

Indigenous - Ethnic groups who are the original or earliest-known inhabitants of an area or country: for example, Native Americans in the USA.

COP27 - The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as the Conference of the Parties (COP).

UN - United Nations. An intergovernmental organisation based in New York that aims to maintain international peace and security.

Fossil fuels - Fuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming.

Industrial Revolution - A period of sudden, rapid industrialisation that transforms a country from an agricultural to an industrial economy.