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Prince William Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change as Earthshot Prize Hits Halfway Point
4 Oct
Summary
- Prince William reflects on how quickly his children are growing up, making climate action more urgent
- The Earthshot Prize, a $64.54 million initiative, is halfway through its 10-year mission to drive innovative solutions
- This year's finalists showcase projects tackling issues like renewable energy storage and microplastic pollution
As the Earthshot Prize, Prince William's $64.54 million initiative to drive innovative solutions to the world's environmental challenges, reaches the halfway mark, the Prince of Wales is calling for urgent action on climate change. In a short film shared on his social media channels on October 4th, 2025, William reflects on how quickly his children - Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 - are growing up, making the fight against climate change more pressing than ever.
"Now, more than ever, is the time to fix the planet," William says, looking ahead to the fifth Earthshot Prize ceremony, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro on November 5th, 2025. The Prince notes that when he launched the prize five years ago, 2030 felt like a distant deadline, but now, "as we stand halfway through this critical decade, 2030 feels very real."
The Earthshot Prize was founded to "ignite a decade of urgent action, innovation and global collaboration to repair and regenerate our planet," and this year's finalists are proof that solutions already exist. From a project turning a skyscraper into an upcycled tower of the future in Australia to a company in West Virginia harnessing rust to store renewable power, the finalists showcase bold ideas transforming industries and communities worldwide.
"The people behind these projects are heroes of our time," William says, "so let us back them. Because, if we do, we can make the world cleaner, safer and full of opportunity - not only for future generations, but for the lives we want to lead now."
