Prince William has shared how he likes to tell his children there is hope for the planet’s future when they go to bed at night. The heir to the throne spoke out about the importance of optimism, saying that he tells Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, “Your future is going to be as bright as futures gone by”, because of people working to fix the world’s biggest problems. William was speaking at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in Rio de Janeiro, where he joined CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour in conversation.
Asked about “lots of changes in your family” and his recent comments about wanting to make change, he said: “You have to provide a leadership and a vision that there’s good things to come, and that it’s not all negative.”
“And for my children, particularly, knowing that the planet is going to be in a healthier, better state because of the brilliant people in this room is something that I love to tell them, you know, when they go to bed. It’s like, ‘it’s going to be great, your future is going to be as bright as futures gone by’. And that’s a really important message for all of us to hear.”
The Prince described the Earthshot finalists and previous winners attending as “the true action heroes of our time,” adding: “Change will come by backing them, not by what I do. And so I want to surround myself with people who want to make change and do good in the world.”
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William launched his ambitious 10-year, £50 million Earthshot Prize in 2020, with a mindset of “urgent optimism”, to give people hope that solutions can be found to problems such as climate change, pollution and damage to the natural world.
Asked if the Earthshot Prize helps to mitigate climate fear, he replied: “Definitely. I think a world without hope and a word without positivity is a pretty depressing place, and I think it’s really important that we produce solutions.”
“We don’t just talk about things the whole time. We’re actually producing solutions. And these finalists, these winners, are producing solutions that we all need to see in here.”
“Climate anxiety is a real thing. I hear about it wherever I go. Now, lots of the younger generation are saying, ‘What kind of planet are we going to inherit?’ And I think that that message needs to go wider and louder, and the younger generations need to be heard more.”
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