After meeting two of his inspirations earlier this year – Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, Karan Johar is going places as he recently meets up with Prince William in London. While this is not the duo’s first meeting as they had earlier met in Mumbai during the Royal’s India visit in 2016, this meeting is almost after a decade later and turns the spotlight to environmental concerns rather than just a celebrity meeting. India is all set to host the Earthshot Prize this November, with Karan being the first Indian host. The duo met up ahead of the formal ceremony.
The meet-up took place at a venue overlooking the Big Ben where the two shared a casual moment admiring the beauty of the structure and the sunshine before diving straight to discussing environmental concerns today, its relevance and the nominations for the Prize. One of the significant topics of this conversation was around the rain crisis and water situation. This included the lack of adequate recorded rainfall and its impacts on the crops and the livelihoods of the farmers. That apart, they also laid emphasis on the increasingly growing temperatures during the summer months.
The two discussed the 15 finalists for the Prize and about the variety of climate related issues each represented and the sustainable solutions they are trying to find. Some of the finalists include Satellites on Fire, Mahila Housing Trust, Pula, The City of Barcelona, Indigenous Desert Alliance, Mother Earth Foundation, and others. Some of the issues these nominations represent include an AI powered forest fire detection system which is much required given the sheer number of forest fires recorded in the past one year, Bhutan’s approach towards conserving Nature, and a woman-led Indian organisation that aims to implement sustainable practices like hear reflective roofs and community Heat action plans.
It is particularly significant that India hosts the Earthshot Prize in Mumbai on November 17, 2026 because of India’s growing concerns over climate change, the sheer number of nominations produced from the country and a total of four winners- higher than any other country. The event was previously hosted by Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, London and Singapore before all eyes turned towards Mumbai, India.
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