The Duke of Cambridge has given a speech at a US conference for Conservation International about how climate change is one of humanity’s ‘greatest ever tests’.
Following in his father’s footsteps as a keen eco-warrior, William commented that if society does not ‘act decisively in the next 10 years, we will cause irreversible damage to our planet’.
The Duke continued: “This damage will not be felt equally by everyone. It is the most vulnerable, those with the fewest resources and those who have done the least to cause climate change will be continued to be impacted the most.
The Duke of Cambridge spoke at a recent US conference for Conservation International about tackling climate change. (@KensingtonRoyal)
“But rather than the despondent about the challenges, let us take the lead for the many millions of young people around the world who have made this cause their own and say enough is enough,” he added.
“All of us, across all sectors of the economy and every corner of the globe must come together to fundamentally reset our relationships with nature and our trajectory as a species.
“I, truly believe that humans have an extraordinary capacity to set goals and strive to achieve them. The remarkable development of the COVID vaccine in record time is a case in point.’
The Duke of Cambridge launched the Earthshot Prize in hope to inspire individuals to think of ways to tackle climate change. (IMAGE: Kensington Royal).
In the speech, William speaks about the Earthshot prize. Launched in 2019, the project aims to ‘incentivise, reward and scale innovations to save the greatest environmental issues of our time’.
The project has set five ambitious goals, known as Earthshots, to achieve by the end of the decade: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world and fix our climate.
“We want to find our brightest minds and boldest ideas that will help us achieve these Earthshots,” the future King said. “But it will require our collective energy, determination and optimism to get there.
“Rather than a Moonshot ?, we need Earthshots ? for this decade.”
Watch Prince William’s @Tedtalks talk in full: https://t.co/pgoXB1XDf7@TedCountdown @EarthshotPrize pic.twitter.com/QNjzUHqpTV
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) October 11, 2020
“I am delighted that conservation international along with so many brilliant organisations and leaders who are also here today have joined as partners in this shared mission. This is a global team effort and it’ll need a lot of us for this to succeed.
“Together, we must unite every business, every community, every government and every person around our common goal to repair the earth. I hope wherever you are in the world, whatever your background, beliefs or politics, you can join in the shared optimism for the future and conviction that change is possible.
The Prince concluded his speech by saying he’s confident in people to start to ‘heal our planet, protect nature and improve lives for billions of people, today and for generations to come’.
As an advocate for tackling climate change and creating a sustainable future, The Prince of Wales has set up his own initiative to tackle climate change – the Terra Carta. Charles hopes the Terra Carta will bring a more sustainable future for the planet by 2030. He hopes to raise £7.3 billion to invest in the natural world.
During his recent visit to Greece, alongside Camilla, Charles met with business leaders in the City Council Chamber who have signed up to his Tera Carta initiative at the City Hall in Athens. It was during the meeting, the future king was presented with Gold Medal of Honour for services to the city of Athens and to Greece.
