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Prince William: Millions for environmental protection (archive)
Photo: Victoria Jones / dpa
The British Prince William has launched an "Earthshot" award, endowed with a total of 50 million pounds, to find solutions to environmental problems.
Five awards, each worth a million pounds (about 1.1 million euros), are to be presented each year for a decade.
"The next ten years are a critical decade for change," said the 38-year-old in a film about the price that was released on Thursday.
It is the "most prestigious environmental award in history," declared the palace.
In doing so, he is somewhat following in the footsteps of his father, Prince Charles.
The 71-year-old is an environmentalist and organic farmer.
Prince William said of his father, "He's been talking about this for a long time, long before people got up on climate change."
He said that he "always listened to his father and learned and believed in what he said."
"Repairing Our Planet"
Prince William and his foundation refer to five "goals to repair our planet" as "Earthshots".
Nature, the oceans and the climate are to be protected more effectively.
The goals also include improving air quality and a "world without waste".
An award is given each year for each of these five goals.
The organizers derived the name "Earthshot" from "Moonshot": In 1961, the former US President John F. Kennedy set his goal of sending a person to the moon within ten years - which he succeeded in 1969 with Neil Armstrong.
Today the term is often associated with extremely ambitious goals.
Shakira on the jury
Individuals or teams, but also cities and governments, can take part in the competition.
The prize money is to be reinvested in environmental protection.
The award is supported by numerous organizations around the world.
The jury that decides on the winners includes, among others, Jordan's Queen Rania, the Australian actress Cate Blanchett, the British naturalist David Attenborough and the Colombian pop star Shakira.
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jpz / dpa / AFP