William calls for environmental action in trailer for Earthshot Prize documentary series

The Duke of Cambridge has called for nations to “protect and restore nature” in a trailer for a BBC series highlighting the goals of his Earthshot Prize.

William launched his ambitious environmental prize to find solutions to the planet’s problems and overcome the pessimism felt by many in its future, and he says in the footage “this is a moment for hope, not fear”.

The future king hosts the five-part television show about the environment featuring pioneers who have been recognised for finding innovative solutions to the most pressing climate issues.

In the trailer for The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet, William takes viewers through the five categories, or Earthshots, of his environmental awards: Protect and restore nature; Clean our air, Revive our oceans; Build a waste-free world; and Fix our climate.

He said: “Over the next 10 years we must work hard to protect and restore nature, so that the wild stops shrinking and starts to grow.

“Fix our climate, to stop the rise in global temperature, clean our air, so that we can all breathe healthfully, revive our oceans to become as rich and productive as they once were.

“And we must build a waste free world, by ensuring the waste of one process becomes the raw materials of the next.”

The winners in the five categories will each receive £1 million to develop their projects after being picked by a judging panel consisting of the duke, Sir David Attenborough, actress Cate Blanchett, singer Shakira and others, with the awards presented on October 17.

Taking inspiration from John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project which advanced mankind’s achievements, the duke named 15 finalists from across the globe earlier this month.

They included a 14-year-old girl from India who has designed a solar-powered ironing cart, the nation of Costa Rica, which has pioneered a project paying local citizens to restore natural ecosystems, and a Chinese app that allows its citizens to hold polluters to account.

The BBC series will air from Sunday, and each episode will focus on a different environmental issue the Earthshots address.

Episodes will be screened in the build-up to the United Nations Cop26 climate summit hosted in Glasgow from November 1.