Pollution solution co-developed by Professor Anant Sudarshan reaches finals of 2025 Earthshot Prize

Pollution solution co-developed by Professor Anant Sudarshan reaches finals of 2025 Earthshot Prize

The world’s first cap-and-trade market for particulate matter, implemented in the Indian state of Gujarat through a pioneering partnership between the Gujarat Pollution Board and a team of researchers including Professor Anant Sudarshan, was one of the three finalists in the Clean Our Air category of this year’s Earthshot PrizeLink opens in a new window.

The four researchers who collaborated with the Gujarat authorities to design, launch and evaluate the project are Professor Michael Greenstone (University of Chicago), Professor Rohini Pande and Dr Nicholas Ryan, (both Yale) and Professor Sudarshan.

Earlier this year the impact of this pilot formed the subject of an article in Quarterly Journal of EconomicsLink opens in a new window finding high compliance, over 20 percent reductions in industrial emissions, and no increase in costs.

Commenting on the Earthshot nomination, Professor Sudarshan said:

“The Earthshot Awards are an opportunity to engage with some of the most exciting and important work on protecting our planet from across the world.

“We were the only academic research nominated, providing a wonderful opportunity to catalyse real world impact. Our team has already begun engaging with Brazil on their planned nation-wide carbon market in addition to scaling up the market in other parts of India.”

The Earthshot Prize was founded in 2020 as the personal initiative of HRH Prince William to discover and support the best examples of climate and environment leadership and problem-solving around the world. Each year 15 finalists are chosen from thousands of nominations, across 5 Earthshot themes. All 15 finalists each year become members of The Earthshot Fellowship programme.

The 2025 Clean Our Air finalists were the State of GujaratLink opens in a new window, for pioneering the world’s first trading scheme for particulate emissions; the City of GuangzhouLink opens in a new window, for its rapid transition to electric buses and taxis; and this year’s winner, the City of BogotaLink opens in a new window, for coordinated action across transport, freight, and green infrastructure to improve urban air quality.

Commending the Gujarat scheme, the Earthshot organisers said:

“the scheme is now regarded as gold-standard evidence that emissions trading is not only environmentally and economically beneficial, but it can succeed in tackling the severe pollution challenges faced by rapidly developing economies in the Global South.”

Opening the Rio awards ceremony, Prince William said:

“Our finalists are a shining example of how we can build stronger economies, design healthier cities, and create better jobs for the next generation. When we unite, our momentum is unstoppable – the momentum to achieve truly astonishing impact, faster than imagined.”

Building on the momentum from the successful Gujarat scheme, the research team has launched an Emissions Market Accelerator partnership to work with governments across the Global South who are interested in exploring whether a similar market approach will work for them.

6 November 2025

• Read about the emissions trading market project on the Earthshot website: The State of Gujarat - The Earthshot Prize 2025 Finalist
• Read our news reportLink opens in a new window about the emissions trading market .
• The research team was awarded funding to scale the market by the University of Chicago, J-PAL’s King Climate Action Initiative (K-CAI), and J-PAL South Asia's Solutions and Advancements through Research for Water, and Air (SARWA) and Alliance for Scaling Policy Impact through Research and Evidence (ASPIRE).