Prince William and Robert Irwin Hop Aboard Green London Bus To Hail Environmental Champions at Assembly for Earthshot Prize

The Prince of Wales’ Earthshot Prize is half way through its 10-year bid to find and support the innovative answers to the planet’s environmental challenges

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William hopped on a London bus with TV presenter Robert Irwin to travel to a special celebration of his Earthshot Prize on Tuesday, June 23
• The pair kicked off a day taking part in the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly by championing new ideas to tackle the planet’s problems at London’s magnificent Guildhall
• The outing came just days after Prince William celebrated his 44th birthday, which also fell on Father’s Day

Prince William and Robert Irwin traveled in style as they undertook their latest assignment as part of the Earthshot Prize.

William, 44, turned up via a green London bus alongside Australian TV presenter Robert Irwin at London's magnificent Guildhall on the morning of June 23 for a special celebration with some of the winners and finalists of his Earthshot Prize.

The prince and fellow climate champion, Irwin, were there to hail the optimism they see in the innovative solutions put forward by entrepreneurs to find answers to the Earth's pressing issues. Irwin, 22, is also a global ambassador for William's green project.

The Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly, which is happening as part of London Climate Action Week, celebrated some of the finalists and winners of William's prestigious contest, which works to find solutions to the planet's pressing environmental challenges.

In a speech, the royal said that he had "proof" that his Earthshot initiative was succeeding in its "immense climate and nature goals," noting that he felt "more optimistic than ever." He went on to list many of the prizes' success stories, including clean air policy in India, planting trees in Brazil, and the High Seas Treaty to protect international waters.

The dad of three went on to state that the "planet does not have time for inch-by-inch change."

"One day , people will look back at this decade and ask: when the evidence was clear, what did we do with it?" he continued.

"When we saw forests being restored, did we help restoration spread? When we saw clean air policies working, did we help other cities follow?  When we saw the energy systems transform, did we fully commit? When we saw communities on the front line becoming leaders in resilience, did we stand beside them? "

"The challenge can still feel immense, but the proof is now in front of us. And history will ask what we did with it," William concluded.

The speech came as the Prince of Wales' office revealed that since the Earthshot Prize was conceived in 2020, more than 6,700 nominations have been reviewed from around the world, $33 million in grants have been awarded to the winners in five key categories, while a cohort of 75 Finalists has been built across every continent. The finalists from the last five years have also secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from investors.  

The finalists, Earthshot Prize says, have already avoided or captured 18 million tons of CO₂e emissions; protected, restored or improved 580,000 km² of land, forests and freshwater; protected and restored 850,000 km² of ocean and coastline; removed, upcycled or avoided 465,000 tons of waste; and improved the air quality in regions home to 600 million people.

It was William's second outing this week for his conservation and environmental initiatives. On Monday, June 22, William was joined by actors Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch and former U.S. vice president Al Gore for a discussion at the business forum for his Royal Foundation's United for Wildlife, which works to end the illegal trade in wildlife parks and poaching. 

During the event, he said helping to find solutions to environmental issues "helps me sleep at night," according to U.K. newspaper The Telegraph.However, he acknowledged that there would be "some sweaty nights" figuring out what to do next after the Earthshot decade wraps in 2030.

"We have some debating to do. It is going to keep us on our toes," the royal said.

William also told former U.S. vice president Al Gore that the Earthshot Prize "keeps my environmental anxiety at bay because I can actually see some of the things we are doing are bringing change. We can do this. There are actually tangible benefits, and it helps me sleep at night."

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After prize-giving ceremonies and events in cities from London to Boston, in 2022, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2025, the next Earthshot Prize week will be hosted by Mumbai, India, in November.

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