Courses spotlight: the Earthshot Challenge

Junior cadets can take the challenge to help protect and restore our planet so that it’s a healthy place for people and nature

What is the Earthshot Challenge?

This course for junior sea cadets is inspired by the Earthshot Prize, launched by Sir David Attenborough and Prince William in 2020 to encourage everyone to think of ways to reverse the climate emergency and start repairing the environment by 2030. Junior cadets can take part with our specially designed booklet and modules that will challenge your imagination and empower you to think of your own ways to save our world.

What will the Challenge involve?

Using the specially designed booklet and modules, you will need to complete five projects around these five Earthshots:

Protect and restore nature

Many species face extinction as their homes are destroyed. We need ways to preserve animal habitats, from rainforests and grasslands, to wetlands, lakes and rivers. Forests and nature are vital, helping to prevent climate change and producing oxygen.

Using renewable resources can help to reduce carbon emissions, which is essential for nature and people (Photo: Getty)

Clean our air

Young people all over the world breathe toxic air every day. We need to end transport that puts toxic fumes in the atmosphere, remove pollution using technology and nature (like trees), and replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.

Revive our oceans

Warmer temperatures, pollution and harmful fishing practices are damaging the ocean, putting life underwater in danger. We need to protect marine ecosystems and make sure everyone uses the ocean sustainably.

Cleaning our oceans is one important way we can reduce and reverse climate change (Photo: Getty)

Build a waste-free world

The amount of things we throw away is harming our planet. We need to eliminate food waste and single-use packaging, and encourage people, companies, and industries to reuse, repurpose, recycle.

Fix our climate

Carbon in the atmosphere is making our planet warmer, threatening all life on Earth. It’s not too late to make the world a more sustainable home for everyone and combat climate change by removing more carbon from the atmosphere than we put into it.

Juniors can take on the challenge to come up with ways to help the planet recover (Photo: Getty)

How do you get a certificate?

Simply choose one module from each of the Junior Sea Cadets Earthshot projects, record what you did in your booklet, include an image or drawing to show your work, and have each module signed off by your instructor. Do this for each of the five projects, add one of your own ideas in the ‘My Earthshot Challenge’ section, then once all this is done, ask your instructor to send in your finished booklet to HQSO Juniors so you can claim your certificate.

Where can we get the Earthshot Challenge booklet so we can start saving the planet?

If you want to take part in the Earthshot Challenge and start coming up with your own ways to help nature recover and reverse the effects of climate change, ask a volunteer about how to get involved. And look out for more information about it on the juniors Facebook page.

What is the Earthshot Prize?

The Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’ – simple but ambitious goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for us all, for generations to come.