Prince William and Kate meet with Scouts as part of COP26 event

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The Duke of Cambridge has followed in his family’s footsteps by demonstrating a deep commitment to environmentalism and tackling climate change. Last month, he put on the inaugural Earthshot Prize, which awards those offering the most inspiring solutions to environmental issues. This morning, William urged world leaders to make the “impossible, possible” as they gathered in Glasgow to engage in talks to strike a landmark COP26 deal.

William stressed to delegates the need to “think differently” if they are to begin to tackle global warming within the next decade. 

He said: “If we are to achieve our goal to repair our planet in what is now less than a decade, it is our shared responsibility to continue thinking differently, acting boldly and making the impossible, possible.”

William attended the conference alongside his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, while Prince Charles, who addressed the conference yesterday, is also lending his star power to the event with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. 

The Queen, who was forced to cancel her appearance in Glasgow on medical advice, delivered a powerful speech yesterday via a pre-recorded video, in which she called on world leaders to act “for our children and our children’s children.”

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The Royal Family have long shown a commitment to the environment, with Prince Philip having spoken out about tackling climate issues half-a-century ago.

However, they have also received backlash on occasion.

The royals frequently travel across the globe to attend events, and according to the Eco-expert, they have a combined carbon footprint of up to 3,810 tonnes a year.

In contrast, the average Briton’s annual carbon footprint is just 10 tonnes.

In April, a well-intentioned message by William, asking people to start taking action to help slow climate change, caused backlash on social media. 

During the Conservation International Gala, the Duke of Cambridge broadcasted a video message which called for humanity to “reset our relationship with nature and our trajectory as a species.”

He added that the next decade will be “one of our greatest tests”.

However, users on Twitter called out the royal for his perceived double standards, in light of his family driving four-wheel Range Rovers and their private jet use.

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Twitter user Fiona Morrison said: “I’ve just seen Prince William on TV preaching about climate change. 

“I’d like to know how big the royal’s (and their entourage) carbon footprint is over the last 50 years.”

Twitter user Mark Yapp also called out the Duke of Cambridge on his sustainability track record. 

He said: “When we see Kate and him on bikes, moving into [an] eco-home and reusing the same clothes, maybe I’ll pay attention.”

William is not the first royal to be called out on his carbon footprint, which according to The Eco-experts, was 11.2 tonnes in 2019. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have received criticism for their private jet use, while Charles, who is arguably the family most passionate conservationist, has the family’s biggest carbon footprint. 

Over 22 trips in 2019, Charles used a private jet 17 times, and is estimated to have released a massive 432.3 tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere.

When challenged last month by the BBC about his efforts to reduce his carbon footprint, Charles said he had switched the heating of Birkhall to biomass boilers, which used wood chips from trees felled in the estate’s forest.

He said he had solar panels installed at Clarence House and on the farm buildings of Highgrove.

The prince added that he had installed heat pumps and some of his properties and a hydroelectric turbine in the river that runs alongside Birkhall. 

When asked about his love of cars and whether he was a ‘petrol-head’, he replied: “Well yes, but that was before we knew what the problems were.”

His beloved Aston Martin, which he has owned for 51 years, has been converted to run on what he described as “surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process.”

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