The net worth of the British royal family is estimated at $28 billion (£21.3 billion), according to Forbes. it's real easy to warn against "doom and gloom" when no matter what happens with the...
it's real easy to warn against "doom and gloom" when no matter what happens with the climate, your personal wealth insulates you from any actual doom and gloom.
He was speaking in New York as the finalists were announced for his flagship environmental project, the Earthshot Prize.
...
Five winning entries will receive £1m each at a ceremony in Singapore in November.
that's right, we should avoid doom and gloom...because we're giving five "Earthshot" projects £1m each.
The prize was inspired by US President John F Kennedy's "Moonshot" programme, which resulted in the US Apollo lunar launches and the first man setting foot on the Moon in 1969.
trying to compare themselves to the Apollo program is a fucking joke. nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
inflation-adjusted ~$20 billion/year in government spending for the "moonshot" vs. £5m/year in private philanthropy for the "Earthshot".
and naturally, it's not like Prince William is personally writing a check. from the project's wikipedia:
The project is funded by donations from philanthropists and charitable organisations, including: Aga Khan Development Network, Bloomberg Philanthropies, DP World in partnership with Dubai Expo 2020, the Jack Ma Foundation, Marc and Lynne Benioff, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Green Belt Movement, Greenpeace, Conservation International, and the Bezos Earth Fund.
and what are they potentially funding?
One project, from the UK, aims to produce tyres for electric cars which will reduce harmful tyre pollution. And a finalist from the US aims to improve the treatment of industrial wastewater.
according to their wikipedia again, these are Enso and Aquacycl.
so they're giving these £1m grants to for-profit companies that already have VC funding?
this is Prince William inventing his own fancy-boy version of Shark Tank. instead of a reality TV show it lets him speak at fancy-boy events like this climate change summit.
ultimately, this is just typical oligarch shit:
Former Microsoft boss and philanthropist Bill Gates spoke at the Earthshot event of his optimism about technological advances, saying that "innovation is delivering very well" in reducing environmental harm.
the economic system that has made me obscenely wealthy is working totally fine, there's no need to change it in order to deal with climate change. no one should panic or advocate for radical changes to the global economy, we can just keep doing what we're doing and capitalism our way out of the problem.
I think he's right that there needs to be more emphasis on giving people reason to believe there's hope. The news is so depressing all the time, there are topics which can directly impact my life...
Exemplary
"I think if we remark on how pessimistic and doom and gloom everything is, even though there is a healthy dose of that needed... it doesn't provoke the reaction from us humans that we would like," Prince William told the event in New York.
"An important part of the prize's design and development is not just to provide the solutions, but it's to make people believe there is hope."
I think he's right that there needs to be more emphasis on giving people reason to believe there's hope. The news is so depressing all the time, there are topics which can directly impact my life and future, but I avoid them because every bit of news is just depressing and bleak. And I'm someone who's mentally sound and healthy. I have friends with anxiety and depression who've had to cut out news altogether because it was genuinely worsening their mental states.
One friend was genuinely at a loss when Donald Trump lost in 2020 because they'd been gearing up for the absolute worst-case scenario. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they spent all of 2020 in a "doomsday is approaching" mindset, it bled into every interaction and even their ideas for stories. They were so pessimistic about the future, the possibility that Trump might lose didn't cross their mind as a genuine possibility.
I give that as an example of how the constant pessimism can hurt people and make things worse, because they just give up entirely. That negativity bleeds into every aspect of their life, even things unrelated to the topic causing that despair. In regards to climate change, a lot of people already seem to be giving up on the world. Many people have stated they refuse to have children specifically because of climate change. Hell, even I'm worried about kids I know now growing up and what the world will be like for them.
A growing number of people are convinced we're past the point of no return, that it's too late to keep Earth habitable for humans. And in some ways, I think some of the damage done is already irreversible. But I think we still have time to set things on a better path. We can't return to how it was before, but we can avert making the planet inhospitable.
Thing is, people need to actively fight for that change. And if they genuinely think there's no hope, they won't. They'll just do nothing, and things will get worse.
So, I think Prince William is right. We need a bit less doom and gloom when talking about climate change, and a little more emphasis on how there's hope for a brighter future.
I think whether hope is constructive or not largely depends on where exactly your hopes lie. Many seem to place a lot of hope in the idea that the problem can somehow be solved without the need...
I think whether hope is constructive or not largely depends on where exactly your hopes lie. Many seem to place a lot of hope in the idea that the problem can somehow be solved without the need for political change. They recognize the problem but will vote and consume as if it doesn't exist; the problem will be solved by a Bill Gates type person who comes along and has scientists figure out a way to embed combustion engine exhaust in concrete or whatever and we can keep burning oil, poisoning the oceans and cutting down forests as usual until that solution is in place.
If any emotion strikes me as constructively useful in this situation, it's fear. Fear in the sense we'd experience seeing a deadly animal; if there's time for highly abstract things like hope, it's hope in your ability to defeat or flee the animal, as you attempt just that. Fearing for your life, you don't place your hope in someone else coming along to tame the animal before it has a chance to maul you to death and then wait around passively for that to happen.
In some way, my hope currently lies in the possibility that more people have a chance to experience and react to climate change in the way someone would experience and react to encountering a deadly animal, and that this happens before it's too late to do anything about it. Frankly, that a lot of people will suffer the consequences of it to an extent that prompts that immediate response.
I think whether he's right is a very subjective question, because some people are in crowds who are already quite optimistic about climate change and his comments make no sense to them.
So, I think Prince William is right. We need a bit less doom and gloom when talking about climate change
I think whether he's right is a very subjective question, because some people are in crowds who are already quite optimistic about climate change and his comments make no sense to them.
Sean Coughlan The Prince of Wales has warned against "doom and gloom" in discussions about tackling climate change. But there have been comments on social media expressing cynicism about VIPs and...
Sean Coughlan
The Prince of Wales has warned against "doom and gloom" in discussions about tackling climate change.
He was speaking in New York as the finalists were announced for his flagship environmental project, the Earthshot Prize.
The prince said a dose of realism was important, but it was also necessary to give people a sense of hope. Bill Gates, UN climate envoy Mike Bloomberg and former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern were among the guests.
"I think if we remark on how pessimistic and doom and gloom everything is, even though there is a healthy dose of that needed... it doesn't provoke the reaction from us humans that we would like," Prince William told the event in New York.
"An important part of the prize's design and development is not just to provide the solutions, but it's to make people believe there is hope."
He added that he was "impatient" to see a more rapid scaling up of new approaches to reducing environmental harm. Prince William's New York visit this week has seen him stepping up on a global stage, including a meeting with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.
But there have been comments on social media expressing cynicism about VIPs and celebrities flying so many miles to talk about decarbonisation and tackling climate change.
The Earthshot event has been held alongside New York's Climate Week and the United Nations has been staging its annual general assembly, including a keynote speech from US President Joe Biden.
The heir to the throne also held meetings with leaders of countries vulnerable to climate change, including the president of Ecuador.
A shortlist of 15 Earthshot finalists was announced, with nominees coming from countries including Peru, India, Sierra Leone and Poland. One project, from the UK, aims to produce tyres for electric cars which will reduce harmful tyre pollution. And a finalist from the US aims to improve the treatment of industrial wastewater.
Five winning entries will receive £1m each at a ceremony in Singapore in November.
The prize was inspired by US President John F Kennedy's "Moonshot" programme, which resulted in the US Apollo lunar launches and the first man setting foot on the Moon in 1969. The late president's daughter Caroline Kennedy, US ambassador to Australia, was also among the guests in New York.
When he arrived in the US earlier this week, Prince William said of tackling the environmental crisis: "The challenge may feel huge, but as John F Kennedy taught us, we rise to the challenge not because it is easy, but because it is hard. And vital."
The net worth of the British royal family is estimated at $28 billion (£21.3 billion), according to Forbes.
it's real easy to warn against "doom and gloom" when no matter what happens with the climate, your personal wealth insulates you from any actual doom and gloom.
that's right, we should avoid doom and gloom...because we're giving five "Earthshot" projects £1m each.
trying to compare themselves to the Apollo program is a fucking joke. nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
The United States spent $25.8 billion on Project Apollo between 1960 and 1973, or approximately $257 billion when adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars.
inflation-adjusted ~$20 billion/year in government spending for the "moonshot" vs. £5m/year in private philanthropy for the "Earthshot".
and naturally, it's not like Prince William is personally writing a check. from the project's wikipedia:
and what are they potentially funding?
according to their wikipedia again, these are Enso and Aquacycl.
ENSO seeking Series A funding of up to £15m
Aquacycl raises $4M in seed round funding (pdf)
so they're giving these £1m grants to for-profit companies that already have VC funding?
this is Prince William inventing his own fancy-boy version of Shark Tank. instead of a reality TV show it lets him speak at fancy-boy events like this climate change summit.
ultimately, this is just typical oligarch shit:
the economic system that has made me obscenely wealthy is working totally fine, there's no need to change it in order to deal with climate change. no one should panic or advocate for radical changes to the global economy, we can just keep doing what we're doing and capitalism our way out of the problem.
would you like to know more?I think he's right that there needs to be more emphasis on giving people reason to believe there's hope. The news is so depressing all the time, there are topics which can directly impact my life and future, but I avoid them because every bit of news is just depressing and bleak. And I'm someone who's mentally sound and healthy. I have friends with anxiety and depression who've had to cut out news altogether because it was genuinely worsening their mental states.
One friend was genuinely at a loss when Donald Trump lost in 2020 because they'd been gearing up for the absolute worst-case scenario. I'm not exaggerating when I say that they spent all of 2020 in a "doomsday is approaching" mindset, it bled into every interaction and even their ideas for stories. They were so pessimistic about the future, the possibility that Trump might lose didn't cross their mind as a genuine possibility.
I give that as an example of how the constant pessimism can hurt people and make things worse, because they just give up entirely. That negativity bleeds into every aspect of their life, even things unrelated to the topic causing that despair. In regards to climate change, a lot of people already seem to be giving up on the world. Many people have stated they refuse to have children specifically because of climate change. Hell, even I'm worried about kids I know now growing up and what the world will be like for them.
A growing number of people are convinced we're past the point of no return, that it's too late to keep Earth habitable for humans. And in some ways, I think some of the damage done is already irreversible. But I think we still have time to set things on a better path. We can't return to how it was before, but we can avert making the planet inhospitable.
Thing is, people need to actively fight for that change. And if they genuinely think there's no hope, they won't. They'll just do nothing, and things will get worse.
So, I think Prince William is right. We need a bit less doom and gloom when talking about climate change, and a little more emphasis on how there's hope for a brighter future.
I think whether hope is constructive or not largely depends on where exactly your hopes lie. Many seem to place a lot of hope in the idea that the problem can somehow be solved without the need for political change. They recognize the problem but will vote and consume as if it doesn't exist; the problem will be solved by a Bill Gates type person who comes along and has scientists figure out a way to embed combustion engine exhaust in concrete or whatever and we can keep burning oil, poisoning the oceans and cutting down forests as usual until that solution is in place.
If any emotion strikes me as constructively useful in this situation, it's fear. Fear in the sense we'd experience seeing a deadly animal; if there's time for highly abstract things like hope, it's hope in your ability to defeat or flee the animal, as you attempt just that. Fearing for your life, you don't place your hope in someone else coming along to tame the animal before it has a chance to maul you to death and then wait around passively for that to happen.
In some way, my hope currently lies in the possibility that more people have a chance to experience and react to climate change in the way someone would experience and react to encountering a deadly animal, and that this happens before it's too late to do anything about it. Frankly, that a lot of people will suffer the consequences of it to an extent that prompts that immediate response.
I think whether he's right is a very subjective question, because some people are in crowds who are already quite optimistic about climate change and his comments make no sense to them.
Sean Coughlan
The Prince of Wales has warned against "doom and gloom" in discussions about tackling climate change.
But there have been comments on social media expressing cynicism about VIPs and celebrities flying so many miles to talk about decarbonisation and tackling climate change.