Prince William has stated that he tells his children that their future is “going to be as bright as futures gone by” thanks to scientists working to repair the world’s climate via CNN.
In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, William, who had traveled to Brazil ahead of the COP30 climate summit to unveil the finalists of his prestigious Earthshot Prize stated that young people needed to see climate “solutions” to give them hope for the future.
“Climate anxiety is a real thing. I hear about it wherever I go now, lots of (the) younger generation are saying, ‘Well what kind of a planet are we going to inherit?’” the prince said Wednesday, at an event in Rio de Janeiro. “The younger generations need to be heard more.”
William stated that he is glad that he can tell his children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte; and Prince Louis, that climate progress is being made, thanks in part to some of the work championed by the Earthshot Prize.
“For my children particularly, knowing that the planet is going to be in a healthier, better state because of the brilliant people in this room, is something that I love to tell them when they go to bed: ‘It’s going to be great. Your future is going to be as bright as futures gone by,’” he said.
The Earthshot Prize awards a grant of £1 million ($1.3 million) to five winners to support their environmental initiatives. This year’s finalists range from a company that has developed a filter for microplastics to another that has constructed an upcycled skyscraper. The winner will be announced later on Wednesday.
Prince William emphasized that the Earthshot Prize, launched five years ago, is not simply a philanthropic endeavor, but aims to foster the creation of commercial products that will improve quality of life.
While in Brazil, the prince is also scheduled to deliver a speech at COP30, which will begin on Monday in Belém, a city located in the Amazon region.
The timing of the conference means the next-in-line to the British throne is isolated from the fallout from the decision of his father, King Charles III, to strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of his title of prince over his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
