The upcoming 2025 Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is generating significant buzz, not just for its environmental mission but also for an unexpected culinary clash involving celebrity chef Saulo Jennings and a last-minute menu change. Amidst this drama, Prince William continues his unwavering commitment to climate action, unveiling finalists and delivering powerful messages to protect our planet.
As Prince William prepares to travel to Rio de Janeiro for his fifth annual Earthshot Prize awards on November 5, the event is already making headlines. What was set to be a seamless celebration of climate innovation has been punctuated by surprising drama surrounding the catering, alongside urgent calls for environmental protection.
The Vegan Menu Controversy: Chef Saulo Jennings Speaks Out
A central point of contention emerged when renowned Brazilian chef Saulo Jennings, originally slated to cater the prestigious event, pulled out. The reason? The Earthshot organization’s insistence on a 100 percent vegan menu. Jennings, an ardent proponent of regional Brazilian cuisine and a United Nations gastronomy ambassador, had planned to feature pirarucu, a large river fish from the Amazon, as his star ingredient.
Jennings voiced his frustration to the New York Times, stating, “It’s like asking Iron Maiden to play jazz.” He viewed the demand for an entirely vegan menu as “a lack of respect for local cuisine, for our culinary tradition.” His culinary philosophy, deeply rooted in honoring what the forest and rivers provide, emphasizes balance and the traditional techniques used by indigenous people for generations to achieve true sustainability.
Despite his efforts to create a vegan menu with the venue, Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow, a different caterer was ultimately chosen. A source “close to the climate event” clarified to the New York Times that Prince William himself was not involved in the menu decision, and Jennings’ departure was attributed to “budgetary constraints,” rather than his reluctance to create a vegan offering.
Prince William’s Urgent Climate Message and the 2025 Finalists
Amidst the catering headlines, Prince William has continued his mission to shine a spotlight on urgent environmental issues. Just ahead of his foreign visit, he released a striking video clip on his official Instagram account, using cinematic storytelling to capture global attention.
The powerful message, which opens in Portuguese with subtitles, states, “We have spent much of our existence transforming nature into money. It’s crucial that we create a financial mechanism to help protect the remaining forests.” This campaign promotes the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a groundbreaking Brazilian government initiative aiming to establish a $125 billion fund to make rainforest preservation more economically viable than destruction.
Prior to the ceremony, on October 25, Prince William also made the exciting announcement of the 2025 Earthshot Prize finalists in the “Clean Our Air” category. These finalists represent ambitious and inspiring solutions from around the globe, demonstrating that practical remedies to our planet’s greatest challenges already exist. The selected finalists are:
- The City of Bogotá
- The City of Guangzhou
- The State of Gujarat
As per the official Earthshot Prize website, these finalists are “climate leaders from every corner of the globe and every kind of organisation… proof that the solutions we need already exist, that change is happening now, and that with the right backing these breakthroughs can spread at speed and scale.”
The Road to 2030: A Reflective Look
Reflecting on the five-year journey of the Earthshot Prize, Prince William shared a poignant message as the finalists were announced. He recounted launching the prize under an oak tree, recognizing the planet’s urgent need for help and scientists’ clear call for significant changes by 2030. What once felt like a distant future, especially with his children George, Charlotte, and Louis so young, now feels “very real” as we stand halfway through this critical decade.
The 2025 Earthshot Prize ceremony, set for November 5, promises to be a high-profile event. Brazilian broadcaster Luciano Huck will host, with performances featuring global music stars including Anitta, Kylie Mingoue, Seu Jorge, and Shawn Mendes. Despite the early drama, the overarching mission remains clear: to inspire optimism and accelerate innovative solutions for a healthier planet.
