The Duke of Cambridge is set to join a star-studded line-up to give a virtual TED talk about climate change.
Prince William, 38, will appear alongside a panel of keen environmentalist and celebrities at TED’s Countdown Global Launch on 10 October to discuss how the world can tackle global warming and ensure a better, healthier future for the planet.
The Duke will be joined by impassioned activists at the online conference including Al Gore, as well as A-list actors Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo and Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith.
Earlier this year, Prince William launched the Earthshot Prize initiative, declaring the Earth was at a ‘tipping point’ and humans had just ten years to save the world.
The Duke of Cambridge, 38, is set to join a star-studded line-up to give a virtual TED talk about climate change in October
The Duke will take part in the fourth and final session of the conference, appearing alongside climate change activists, engineers and popstars.
The session, which is titled ‘Breakthroughs’ is described online as ‘exploring the nexus of protection, regeneration and transformation using powerful examples.’
The description continues: ‘The world around us is mainly made of two things: nature and the materials that we extract from it.
‘To fight climate change, we need to protect and regenerate nature and transform materials into low or zero-carbon alternatives.’
Prince William’s profile online describes ‘protecting the natural environment for future generations’ as one of the royal’s ‘key priorities’
Meanwhile a description of the Duke’s profile states: ‘Protecting the natural environment for future generations is one of Prince William’s key priorities.’
Alongside celebrity appearances, the virtual conference promises to bring together ‘scientists, activists, entrepreneurs, urban planners, farmers, CEOs, investors, artists, government officials,’ and more to ‘find the most effective, evidence-based ideas’ to help combat climate change.
Part of the conference’s overall pledge is to work to find a way to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by half by the year 2030.
Viewers can watch the event live online on YouTube with further events planned throughout 2021 ahead of the Countdown Summit in Edinburgh next October.
William’s involvement signals a determination to follow his father Charles’s lead on environmental issues.
The Duke will appear at the virtual conference alongside a host of celebrities and environmental activists, including Al Gore
At the end of last year, the Duke launched the Earthshot Prize, an award, which has been endorsed by Sir David Attenborough, which will grant millions of pounds to those who can come up with solutions to global warming.
The ambitious decade-long project will see a total of 50 environmental pioneers awarded a cash prize for their work tackling major problems across climate and energy, nature and biodiversity, oceans, air pollution and fresh water.
Palace officials at the time said he hopes to build a unique coalition of scientists, economists, activists, leaders, governments, businesses, philanthropists, cities and countries.
The Earthshot Prize will celebrate the achievements of five individuals, teams or organisations each year for the next decade.
Meanwhile other A-listers set to speak at the conference include Hollywood actor Chris Hemsworth
The project, which will span the globe and seeks to produce ‘at least 50 solutions by 2030’, was launched with a video narrated by Sir David Attenborough that was shared on the @KensingtonRoyal Instagram page on New Year’s Eve last year.
Kensington Palace said William wanted the world to show the spirit of Project Apollo in the 1960s and 1970s.
Nasa’s ‘Moonshot’ missions helped develop innovations such as solar panels, CAT scanners, smoke detectors and advanced water filters.
William insisted that the same level of ambition and ingenuity could solve the climate crisis.