Prince William has spoken about his Earthshot Prize initiative and admitted he feels “more optimistic than ever” as the project reaches its halfway point.
According to LBC, William praised the impact of Earthshot Prize finalists during an assembly at the Guildhall in the City of London. He told guests the evidence now points to real progress.
He said: “Solutions are working. Capital is moving. Policy is shifting.”
William launched the Earthshot Prize as a 10-year mission. The project aims to find and scale solutions to major environmental problems. He is now five years into that plan.
Why Prince William’s Earthshot project now feels more urgent
William said the finalists show change is possible within this decade. He told invited guests: “Our finalists are exemplars of a wider movement that is proving that we can turn the tide within this decade.”
LBC reported that Earthshot has supported 75 finalists over the past five years. William said their work has protected and restored 1.4 million square kilometres of land, ocean and coastline.
Prince William Earthshot is a 10-year environmental initiative launched by the Prince of Wales to find and scale practical solutions to major climate and nature challenges.
The prize is built around five goals, known as Earthshots:
- Protect and restore nature
- Clean our air
- Revive our oceans
- Build a waste-free world
- Fix our climate
Each year, finalists and winners are highlighted as examples of ideas that could be expanded globally.
He also said they have saved 21 million tonnes of water. He added that they removed, upcycled or avoided almost half a million tonnes of waste.
Those figures shaped his upbeat message. He presented the prize as more than an awards scheme. He sees it as a way to push practical ideas into the mainstream.
William arrived at the Guildhall on a sustainably powered Transport for London bus. That detail matched the event’s environmental message.
What happens next could matter even more
William also looked ahead to the next stage of the initiative. The 2026 Earthshot awards will take place in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, in November.
He sees India’s huge youth population as a potential force for change. The ceremony will continue Earthshot’s global push across five categories, known as Earthshots.
They are: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.
The project has also drawn high-profile supporters including conservationist Robert Irwin, Sir David Attenborough and actress Cate Blanchett.
The challenge can still feel immense but the proof is now in front of us.
William ended his speech with a warning and a challenge. He said: “One day people will look back at this decade and ask: when the evidence was clear, what did we do with it?
“When we saw forests being restored, did we help restoration spread? When we saw clean air policies working, did we help other cities follow?”
He then concluded: “The challenge can still feel immense but the proof is now in front of us. And history will ask what we did with it.”
His message was simple. He believes the climate challenge remains huge. But he now points to the Earthshot finalists as proof that solutions are no longer just theoretical.