Prince William has warned that the world must move faster to solve major climate challenges, stating, "We're not moving fast enough." Speaking to the BBC, he called for more businesses, investors, and leaders to support and scale up solutions.
His comments were made as the nominees for this year's Earthshot Prize, an environmental award he launched six years ago, were unveiled. Prince William highlighted that people globally are demonstrating that nature can be restored and climate challenges tackled, citing the 2026 finalists as examples.
Among the 15 finalists are the city of Barcelona, recognised for safeguarding its Mediterranean coastline, and Bhutan, for embedding environmental protection into its national identity. Other finalists include Indigenous ranger teams in Australia, an Argentinian AI-powered wildfire detection platform, and two initiatives from India: Mahindra Last Mile Mobility and the Mahila Housing Trust.
The finalists were chosen from nearly 7,000 nominations across 169 countries. Five winners, one from each of the five Earthshot categories, will be announced at a ceremony in Mumbai, India, in November. Each winner will receive a £1m prize to help expand their project.