The Prince of Wales has shared with his children plans for a young people’s Earthshot when India hosts his environmental awards.
William has discussed with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis how, through a ‘Children’s Earthshot’, youngsters will be involved with his project, which aims to find, reward and scale up ideas to “repair” the planet.
Mumbai will stage the Earthshot Prize next month where the future King will meet Bollywood stars as he learns about India’s hugely popular film industry, play with cricketing royalty and preside over the ceremony awarding £5 million in prize money.
The Prince of Wales with Earthshot ambassadors Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha when Cape Town hosted the environmental awards (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA)
PA Archive
Alongside the global finalists, children across India were encouraged to tackle environmental issues under the “I CAN Earthshot Challenge”.
Fifteen teams have been selected to take part in two days of events, from presentations to workshops, in Mumbai, culminating in winning entries receiving 2,000 dollars (£1,490) to develop and implement their ideas.
Jason Knauf, Earthshot’s chief executive officer, said: “The extraordinary ingenuity shown by these young finalists demonstrates that the next generation is not waiting for the future to act; it is already building environmental solutions right now.
“As we prepare to host The Earthshot Prize Summit in Mumbai, these remarkable children remind us that local community action, driven by youthful optimism and determination, is vital to repairing our planet.
“We can’t wait to celebrate them in Mumbai for our biggest edition yet.”
The Prince of Wales during a visit to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, where he met finalists for 2025 Earthshot Prize (Chris Jackson/PA)
PA Archive
The initiative invited nine to 17-year-olds to look beyond environmental awareness and take meaningful action, with entries ranging from tackling a waterlogged playground to combatting oil and solid-waste pollution in the Godavari River.
William’s project is halfway through its decades-long cycle to recognise and reward issues and ideas to help save the planet and the event has already been staged in London, Singapore, Cape Town, Boston and Rio de Janeiro.
Since its launch in 2021, he has managed to attract a host of stars to his cause, from Hollywood names Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett to broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough and former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.
The initiative was inspired by former US president John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project which set scientists the challenge of placing an astronaut on the moon and returning him safely – and in the process helped advance mankind’s achievements.
Among the main finalists this year are Orsted, the Danish renewable energy company behind some of the world’s largest offshore wind projects, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility which produces electric tuk-tuks in India and Yellowstone to Yukon, which is reconnecting a vast mountain landscape across Canada and the US so wildlife can once again move freely.