Earthshot Week is under way in Cape Town, with various workshops and panel discussions. On Tuesday afternoon Prince William took part in the Earthshot+ event panel discussion.
Award-winning actress Nomzamo Mbatha, the official host for Earthshot Week, introduced the Prince of Wales and he was met with an excited applause from the audience.
The Prize’s founder and president, Prince William, participated in the panel moderated by Prize Council Member, Wanjira Mathai, which focused on accelerating solutions to scale.
They were joined by Earthshot Prize Trustee, Tokunbuh Ishmael, and a young climate leader who has been part of the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Programme.
During his address, Prince Willaim shed light on the importance of young people being involved in the Earthshot Prize.
“When I founded the Earthshot Prize it was about trying to find solutions and to scale these solutions as fast as possible to make an impact, but it was also to tackle, or more as an antidote the desperation around the environment.
“Allowing young people a platform of hope and a platform to channel their optimism to deliver solutions and I felt obliged that the Earthshot Prize is their prize as much as it is one of our prizes.
“They are the people that will bring the change, they are the ones who know what to give a platform to. Do what they want with it, take it to where they feel will be the most useful and see it as something that they own and it provides a better future for them and their families.”
The fourth-annual Earthshot Prize Awards take place in Africa for the first time and Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Billy Porter will co-host the awards with South Africa’s very own Bonang Matheba.
IOL