As Prince William prepares to present his Earthshot Award to people saving the planet, he directed some criticism at billionaires sending people into space.
Prince William criticizes billionaire space race, says focus needs to be on saving the Earth
“We need some of the best brains and minds in the world to focus on trying to fix this planet, not on finding the next place to go and live,” William, 39, said in a new interview with the BBC, referring to the current race for space
tourism led by billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson.
“I think ultimately that’s what sold me, that it’s really crucial to focus on this planet rather than giving up and going out into space to try to think of solutions for the future.”
William’s comments came just a day after actor William Shatner took a successful 10-minute trip into space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard.
“Everybody has to do this,” Shatner told Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos after landing in Texas on Wednesday.
William said he has “absolutely no interest” in going into space and questioned the carbon cost of flying into space, according to the BBC.
On Sunday, William and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, will attend the inaugural Earthshot Awards, where five winners working to repair the planet will receive $1 million in funding.
William launched the Earthshot Prize last October, inspired by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s famous Moonshot challenge.
Five winners will receive $1 million each year until 2030. The goal is to create “at least 50 solutions to the world’s biggest environmental problems by 2030,” Kensington Palace said of William’s $50 million initiative.
William and Kate are the parents of three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.
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