Well, this is a pretty big deal! Prince William has launched a £50 million environmental initiative dubbed the "Earthshot Prize," which aims to transform the planet by 2030. Described as "the most prestigious global environmental prize in history," the initiative aims to "transform the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by highlighting the capacity of human ingenuity to effect change and inspire collective action," with five million pound prizes to be awarded annually for the next ten years.

William said he feels this initiative is "my job and my responsibility," and was inspired by his father Prince Charles and naturalist David Attenborough, reports the Guardian (opens in new tab). 'I felt that what was missing from the jigsaw puzzle was positivity,' he said. 'I felt strongly that there are a lot of people who want to do good for the environment, and what they need is a little trigger, a little hope, a little positivity that they can actually solve what is being presented.'

According to the Earthshot Prize website (opens in new tab), the incentive was inspired by President John F. Kennedy's "moonshot" initiative, which aimed to land astronauts on the moon. The new award focuses on five goals, or "earthshots": "conservation and restoration," "cleaning up the atmosphere," "restoring the oceans," "building a waste-free world," and "improving the climate." (The Earthshot Prize Council, which includes Attenborough, Queen Rania of Jordan, economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, actor Cate Blanchett, former basketball player Yao Ming, and singer Shakira, will select the winners. Awards will be given to "individuals, communities, businesses, and organizations" that present solutions to the five goals.

"We see this decade as one of the most important for the environment," William said. 'And we hope that by 2030 we will have made great strides in solving some of the biggest problems on the planet.'