FILE PHOTO: Britain鈥檚 Prince William plays Emoji Bingo with kids of Springwell Park Community Primary School during his visit to Everton Football Club鈥檚 official charity Everton in the Community as part of the Heads Up campaign in Liverpool, Britain January 30, 2020. Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS
LONDON 鈥� Britain鈥檚 Prince William will announce Friday the first finalists of his multi-million-pound environmental prize, which he said he had set up in response to world leaders鈥� uninspiring response to the climate change crisis.
William, Queen Elizabeth鈥檚 grandson, announced two years ago he would establish an 鈥淓arthshot Prize鈥� with the aim of encouraging the world鈥檚 greatest problem-solvers to find answers to the planet鈥檚 biggest environmental problems.
Innovators will vie for the prize by creating new technologies, policies or solutions that mitigate climate issues. On Friday, he will reveal the first 15 finalists, with the five winners, who will collect one million pounds each, announced on October 17.
In an introduction to a book about the prize, 鈥淓arthshot: How to Save our Planet,鈥� the prince said the facts looked 鈥渢errifying.鈥�
鈥淗umans have taken too many fish from the sea. We have cleared too many trees, burnt too much fossil fuel, and produced too much waste,鈥� William, 39, wrote. 鈥淭he damage we are doing is no longer incremental but exponential, and we are fast reaching a tipping point.鈥�
The prince said he had come up with the idea for Earthshot following a visit to Namibia in 2018 and then being 鈥渉it by a wave of global pessimism鈥� at climate change talks, which he feared could foster a growing sense of despondency.
鈥淭he headlines were dominated by a sense that world leaders were not moving fast enough,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here was widespread finger-pointing and political and geographical division. To those of us following at home, it wasn鈥檛 an inspiring sight.鈥�
William said he was also inspired by his father Prince Charles and late grandfather Prince Philip, the queen鈥檚 husband, who both argued for decades about the importance of conservation and the impact of climate change.
The prize deliberately echoes the ambitious 鈥淢oonshot鈥� project of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his goal for the 1969 moon landings.
鈥淚t was an incredible demonstration of our talent for making the impossible possible,鈥� William said. 鈥淚 wanted to recapture Kennedy鈥檚 Moonshot 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 鈥� repairing our planet.鈥�