The Duke of Sussex, who welcomed his first child with Meghan Markle on May 6, joked he had “the best night’s sleep I’ve had in four months” after he travelled to Amsterdam to announce his new campaign Travalyst. This urges travellers to think more carefully about the impact they have on the environment.

The prince, who was under fire recently for using private jets while endorsing environmental causes, said on Tuesday he only uses them rarely, for safety reasons.

He added he takes steps to offset the carbon dioxide his trips release into the atmosphere.

Harry said “I spend 99 percent of my life travelling the world by commercial (aircraft).”

He added he flew by private jet only occasionally or in “a unique circumstance, and to ensure that my family are safe – and it’s genuinely as simple as that… I always offset my CO2.”

Carbon offset programmes help travellers compensate for the carbon dioxide emissions they cause by paying a fee that goes to reducing CO2 by a similar amount, usually by planting trees.

Harry said that carbon offsets are “the right thing to do and we need to make it cool”.

He said: ”But it can’t just be a ‘ticking the box’ exercise.”

Meghan and Harry faced accusations of hypocrisy for taking private planes to attend recent engagements while at the same time voicing concerns about the environment.

The criticism prompted singer Elton John, whom Harry visited with his wife Meghan at his home in the south of France for a vacation last month, to launch a defence of the couple against the “distorted and malicious account in the press”.

He said on Twitter: “I am deeply distressed by today’s distorted and malicious account in the press surrounding the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s private stay at my home in Nice.

“Prince Harry’s mother, Diana Princess Of Wales was one of my dearest friends.

“I feel a profound sense of obligation to protect Harry and his family from the unnecessary press intrusion that contributed to Diana’s untimely death.

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“After a hectic year continuing their hard work and dedication to charity, David and I wanted the young family to have a private holiday inside the safety and tranquility of our home.”

This month, Meghan and Harry will travel on a long-haul flight to Africa for Archie’s first official overseas visit.

The sustainable travel scheme Travalyst is backed by major tourism industry companies including Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Ctrip and Visa.

It plans initiatives that will help travellers to cut their carbon emissions, prevent over-tourism and develop local economies.

Harry said: ”… while no one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact.

“The question is what we do to balance it out,”

Harry and the founding members of the organisation did not give specific examples of programmes they would introduce or actions they would undertake during the launch.

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