Earthshot Prize: Prince William delivers speech

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Andrew Kroglund, CEO of the Norwegian Grandparents Climate Campaign, told Express.co.uk “it is important” and often influential to have visible figures, like the Royal Family, to champion climate change causes. He said the Firm “is a unique institution, not only for Britain, but for the world.” This means “a lot of people are interested in what the royals think” and “it might have a positive impact”, Mr Kroglund noted.

He believes media coverage across various continents indicates the important role the family has.

Mr Kroglund pointed out Prince William’s high-profile green agenda after he hosted the inaugural awards ceremony of the Earthshot Prize in London’s Alexandra Palace earlier this month.

The Earthshot Prize describes itself as the “most prestigious global environment prize in history, designed to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years.”

The Prize was spearheaded by Prince William in an attempt to “turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism, by highlighting the ability of human ingenuity to bring about change, and inspiring collective action.”

The Earthshot Prize bestowed £1million on five winners in various categories of environmental innovation, and featured a performance from band Coldplay powered by energy produced by 60 cyclists.

The Prince of Wales, who has a long history of environmental campaigning, praised his son’s efforts to lead climate change initiatives through the Earthshot Prize.

He said: “I am very proud of my son, William, for his growing commitment to the environment and the bold ambition of The Earthshot Prize.

“As a world, we need to come together to inspire, reimagine and build the sustainable future we so desperately need.

“Over the coming decade, with future generations in mind, The Earthshot Prize, and its inspirational nominees, will help us find the innovative solutions.”

Mr Kroglund, a veteran climate campaigner, said of Prince William: “Of course, his father, Charles, has always been a green figure.”

The Prince of Wales revealed earlier this month that he understood the reasons why campaign groups such as Extinction Rebellion demonstrate in the streets in order to leverage climate change action.

In an interview with the BBC, the future King expressed sympathy for those “frustrated” by the slow progress of change, and questioned whether there would be more than “just talk” from the COP26 climate change conference when “the problem is to get action on the ground”.

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It was announced on Wednesday that Prince Charles will deliver the opening address of COP26 in Glasgow, following news the Queen will not attend the summit.

Mr Kroglund added that COP26 is a “watershed moment” in climate change campaigning, with the potential to affect change, as Prince Charles hopes.

He specified, however, that a ‘watershed’ moment is an ongoing process for every generation when approaching climate change issues.

He said: “We’re always reaching that point.

“People before us thought that, in Paris, in 2015, people said that was a watershed moment.”

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015 by 196 countries at COP21, is a legally binding climate change treaty to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius.

Each country could individually tailor its contribution to how they would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Kroglund said: “In a way, we all live in a watershed moment, we become conscious of the issues of our time.”

He added: “It is good, psychologically, to feel like you’re living in a watershed moment.”

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