Prince Harry spent UN Climate Week 2024 drawing attention to some of his passion projects, including mental health, the environment and the dangers of social media. But he also shared how his children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, gave him an even greater desire to change the world.
During an event celebrating the fifth anniversary of his not-for-profit organization Travalyst on Sept. 24, the Duke of Sussex spoke about sustainable travel and how parenthood has heightened his concern for environmental issues.
"Somebody born in 2020 is likely to experience eight times the number of heatwaves, four times the number of droughts, three times the number of crop failures, and three times the number of river floods than a person born in 1960," he said in a speech at the event.
Reflecting on his children, Harry admitted, "As a father of two, that's absolutely terrifying."
The organization, partnering with major travel brands and technology companies, aims to transform the tourism industry by prioritizing environmental and community welfare alongside economic growth.
Harry drew from his extensive experiences to illustrate the "double-edged sword" nature of tourism, describing travel as "a force that has the potential to do tremendous good, or if mismanaged, inflict significant harm."
"We're expecting 1.8 billion international arrivals each year, nearly double the numbers we saw just two decades ago," he said, adding, "That kind of growth can only be sustainable if we prioritize not just profit, but people and places too."
Speaking of the impact of climate change on communities, the Duke of Sussex said, "The level of suffering is heartbreaking and the cumulative cost of recovery has us permanently on the back foot."
The duke also stated there was a "vital need" for a balanced approach to travel that considers the impact on local communities and ecosystems.
Travalyst's initiatives include developing tools to estimate flight emissions, helping travelers make eco-friendly choices. The organization plans to expand these efforts to accommodation and other aspects of travel, leveraging its partners' combined market value of nearly $3 trillion.
Prince Harry also spoke about his kids during several other Climate Week events, revealing during his Clinton Global Initiative speech that Archie and Lilibet feature in the photo on his phone's lock screen.
He also shared how his kids gave him an even greater drive to make a change at a reception for The HALO Trust, a landmine clearance charity that was close to his mother, Princess Diana's, heart.
"Much has changed in my life and the world since 2019 when I first visited Huambo," Harry told the audience, speaking of the trip he took to the same Angolan minefield visited by his mother in 1997. "In those five years I’ve become a father for the second time."
"And while you don't need children to have a stake in the future of our planet, I do know that my mother would have been horrified that anyone’s children or grandchildren would live in a world still infested with mines," he said.
