The Duke of Cambridge recalled what led to the creation of The Earthshot Prize, his ambitious, decade-long initiative to help save the planet, in an introduction to the new book, Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet.
William recalls a trip to Namibia in 2018 as the catalyst for The Earthshot Prize, writing that it was “a crucial disconnect this visit clarified for me, between the optimism and determination I saw on the ground, and the despair and anger that would come to dominate headlines just a few weeks later.”
He continues: “The rich wildlife that I saw thriving on that visit struck a real chord. The community conservancy model is a prime example of how a simple, positive solution can have wide-reaching benefits for both humans and nature. Most importantly of all, it is a success story that can be replicated and scaled. I wanted to find a way to bottle that innovation and community spirit and mass-produce it globally.
“But when I returned to the UK, just as the world was gathering again for the next round of climate change negotiations in Poland, I was hit by a wave of global pessimism. The headlines were dominated by a sense that world leaders were not moving fast enough. There was widespread finger pointing and political and geographical division. To those of us following at home, it wasn’t an inspiring sight.”
William and his team felt that there was a risk that with all of the despair, people might feel so powerless and despondent that they would lose hope of progress and switch off. He writes that it is a simple equation: “urgency + pessimism = despondency.”
William credits his father’s and grandfather’s life-long dedication to environmentalism and conservation for inspiring him as well. “Following in their footsteps, I have seen people all over the world face what seem like insurmountable challenges yet come together with collective ambition, and a can-do-spirit, to find solutions to them. I strongly believe that change is possible, when you put your mind to it. I started thinking about what to do to change the equation to something else: urgency + optimism = action.”
William based his idea for The Earthshot Prize on President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which was a declaration that man would walk on the moon before the end of the 1960s.
“When the Moonshot was accomplished, within the decade, it was a defining achievement in our global history,” William writes. “It was an incredible demonstration of our talent for making the impossible possible. And, crucially, the technological advances brought about by the Apollo space programme still bring benefits to this day. They inspired developments in lightweight materials, heart monitors, CAT scanners, breathing equipment and solar panels.”
His goal was to replicate the spirit behind the Moonshot with the Earthshot, the “spirit of human ingenuity, purpose and optimism, and turn it with laser-sharp focus and urgency on to the most pressing challenge of our time – repairing our planet.”
The first 15 finalists for the inaugural Earthshot Prize will be announced by William on 17 September. The five Earthshots are Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World and Fix our Climate.
Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet will be published on 30 September and features contributions from Earthshot Prize Council members, including Christiana Figueres, Shakira and Sir David Attenborough.
The first Earthshot Prize ceremony will take place on 17 October at Alexandra Palace in London.
