Prince William tells young readers to ‘dream big’ to protect planet

Prince of Wales launched his Earthshot Prize in 2021 to discover ground-breaking solutions to repair the planet

The Prince of Wales is urging young environmentalists to “think big and dream bigger” in order to protect the planet from climate change.

In his foreword to a new children’s book, Prince William wrote that some people “refused” to believe climate change was happening when he was a child.

“But while denying it was happening then was scary”, giving up hope that environmental problems can be fixed now, was “an even scarier thought”, he said.

He now wants to give hope that environmental problems can be fixed in his introduction to the book The Earthshot Prize: A Handbook For Dreamers And Thinkers: Solutions To Repair Our Planet.

The Prince of Wales launched his Earthshot Prize in 2021 to discover ground-breaking solutions to repair the planet (PA)

He writes: “From pulling carbon dioxide from the air and locking it away in rocks, to making leather from flowers instead of animals, and from sustainable concrete to bubble barriers that remove plastic from our rivers, the Earthshots you’ll read about in these pages are the stories of possibility and potential, and it is my hope that they will leave you feeling inspired and optimistic.”

The future monarch launched the Earthshot Prize in 2021 to discover and scale-up ground-breaking solutions to repair the planet, with the winners in five categories – also known as Earthshots – receiving £1 million each to help develop their ideas.

It is a 10-year project which aims to fund at least 50 climate change solutions by 2030.

The new children’s book will be published on Thursday and contains practical measures young readers can make to help save the planet, as well as contributions from leading climate change activists, including Sir David Attenborough.

The Prince of Wales during a visit to the London headquarters of Sustainable Ventures, Europe's largest climate tech hub (PA)

The environment has become a central theme of Prince William’s work, and he has received praise for raising awareness of pollution and climate change in urban settings and celebrating the city’s solutions-based approach.

The Prince of Wales has continued the royal family’s commitment to bringing the climate crisis to the forefront of duties. Both Prince Phillip and King Charles III have led decade-long efforts to tackle global warming.

Prince William has sought to become the royal’s climate champion, with the Earthshot Prize being the driver of this goal.

Referring to the Earth in the forward, Prince William added: “She is the only home we have and we must think big and dream bigger if we are to protect her.”

He also wrote: “We now live in a world where seaweed can replace plastic and whole countries team together to protect rainforests, and our goal with The Earthshot Prize Handbook For Dreamers And Thinkers is simple: to encourage you to think about how you can become one of these amazing people contributing to the mission to repair our planet.”

Singapore will host the third Earthshot Prize awards in November, after ceremonies were staged in Boston last year and London’s Alexandra Palace in 2021.