Prince William launches new decade-long environmental initiative to 'repair' planet

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 11: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attends a Service of Thanksgiving for the life and work of Sir Donald Gosling at Westminster Abbey on December 11, 2019 in London, England. Sir Donald Gosling, Chairman of National Car Parks (NCP) an honorary Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy and former owner of the motor yacht Leander G, died on September 16 2019. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Prince William has launched a new environmental initiative (Getty)

Prince William has launched a new environmental prize in order to help “repair the planet”.

The second-in-line to the throne announced his latest initiative through a tweet on the official Kensington Palace account.

The announcement contained an inspiring quote from William, 37, where he claimed the “earth is at a tipping point” and we need to “remember our unique power as human beings...to lead, innovate and problem solve”.

It was accompanied by a promotional clip voiced by Sir David Attenborough, who has become renowned for his groundbreaking documentaries which warn of the effects of climate change.

It tagged a new Twitter account, @EarthshotPrize, to promote the scheme, and links to the official Earthshot website – which provides further details of the prize.

"People can achieve great things. And the next ten years presents us with one of our greatest tests - a decade of change to repair the Earth,” reads a further quote from the royal on the newly-established website.

The prize will be awarded to five winners per year over the next decade, it explains, based on a series of challenges.

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“These challenges will seek answers to the biggest issues currently facing the planet, including: climate and energy, nature and biodiversity, oceans, air pollution and fresh water,” the site explains, with further details still to be announced.

The prizes will be awarded at an annual awards ceremony in different cities across the world between 2021 and 2030.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - SEPTEMBER 03: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex announces a partnership between Booking.com, SkyScanner, CTrip, TripAdvisor and Visa called 'Travalyst' at A'dam Tower on September 03, 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The initiative is to help transform the travel industry to better protect tourist destinations. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Prince Harry at the launch of the 'Travalyst' platform in Amsterdam in September (Getty)

Prince William is following in the legacy of his younger brother, Prince Harry, with his eco-friendly initiative.

Earlier this year, Harry launched ecotravel platform Travalyst at a conference in Amsterdam.

The platform aims to tackle the environmental problems surrounding tourism and travel through a partnership between online travel companies.

But its launch came amid a summer of headlines criticising Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, for using private planes.

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