“With great power comes great responsibility.”
Uncle Ben, Spider-Man
The Prince and Princess of Wales are the ultimate power couple. Their support for any cause creates a buzz, so it’s a big boost for the climate effort to have some royal firepower on the task. I’m pleased to see Prince William is using his power for good.
“The Earth is at a tipping point. We face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as humans and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve. People can achieve great things. The next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.”
Prince William of Wales
In 2020, Prince William’s Royal Foundation started the Earthshot Prize based on the idea that Urgency + Optimism = Action. Each year, the organization selects innovators from around the world to receive a cash award and other support to help scale their projects. Earthshot awards one winner from each of five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.
The 2023 Earthshot winners, announced this week:
- Acción Andina – protecting forest ecosystems in the Andes Mountains
- GRST – developing innovative ways to build and recycle lithium-ion batteries
- WildAid Marine Program – working to end illegal fishing and strengthen coastal conservation
- S4S Technologies – helping farmers reduce food waste with solar-powered processing and drying equipment
- Boomitra – incentivizing farmers to cut emissions through a carbon-credit marketplace
What can us non-royals do?
- Leverage the influence we have in our own lives through work, social network, volunteer roles
- Consider supporting climate innovators through our investments
- Make climate change a topic of conversation this holiday season
As Prince William pointed out, climate change has “become too visible to be ignored”. It gives me hope to have his substantial influence bolstering the effort. Further, I love that instead of focusing on the problem, he is supporting innovative solutions. No matter who we are, we each have influence of some kind, and the more of us pushing on the boulder, the faster we can get it rolling.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.