His Royal Highness Prince William, the Prince of Wales arrived in Singapore on Sunday, November 5, in preparation for the third edition of the Earthshot Prize Awards to be held on November 7, Tuesday.
It will be Prince William's first visit to Singapore in 11 years since he and Kate made a trip in October 2012 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Singapore is one of the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
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| Prince William and Sim Ann at Jewel Changi Airport. Photo credit: Earthshot Prize |
He was welcomed by Sim Ann, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for National Development and Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs upon his arrival at the Changi International Airport.
The welcome party led Prince William to the Jewel area of Changi airport to take a look at the 40-meter high Rain Vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall that was illuminated green to mark his arrival. He was also shown a tree planted in his honor in the indoor garden at the foot of the waterfall.
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| Prince William at the Rain Vortex in Changi Airport. Photo credit: The Earthshot Prize |
Jewel Changi Airport is one of the world's most elegant, and probably the cleanest airport facilities in the world equipped with gardens, attractions, a hotel, and retail and dining outlets. It covers a total gross floor area of 1,461,000 square feet.
Its attractions include the Shiseido Forest Valley, an indoor garden spanning five floors, and the Canopy Park at the topmost level, featuring gardens and leisure facilities.
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| Rain Vortex, the centerpiece of the Jewel Changi Airport. Photo credit: Earthshot Prize |
The Prince of Wales said in a statement: “It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after eleven years. Singapore’s bold vision to be a leader for environmental innovation sets the standard for others to follow."
The Earthshot Prize and the Prince of Wales chose Singapore as the venue of the Awards this year due to the following reasons:
- Singapore is a global powerhouse for innovation
- Singapore combines capital and human ingenuity to tackle the toughest environmental challenges
- Local innovators' efforts to push for sustainable and innovative solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change as Southeast Asia has been facing the threats of rising sea levels and extreme weather due to global warming.
- Singapore is a garden city! Nearly half of Singapore's land area is covered in lush greenery, making it a paradise for both residents and biodiversity alike
- Singapore's commitment to sustainability extends to construction with green building regulations
- Southeast Asia is home to some of the world's most biologically diverse ecosystems: The rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, the coral reefs of the Philippines, and the Mekong River system.
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| Singapore Botanical Garden. Photo credit: Tripadvisor |
Prince William's Environmental Vision
The Earthshot Prize is Prince William's vision for a sustainable planet. He first conceived the idea of establishing the Earthshot Prize in 2019, revealing that he was inspired by the Moonshot dream of President John F, Kennedy in 1962 of sending humans to the moon (which was realized in 1969 with the successful moon landing of the Apollo 11 crew, six years after Kennedy was assassinated), to establish the same dream, this time, to find solutions to mitigate climate change.
The primary goal of The Earthshot Prize is to look for brilliant environmental projects that can help fix and save the planet, a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change, and hopefully inspire everyone to carry the same vision for a sustainable environment.
The mission of the Earthshot Prize is based on five key points of environmental protection:
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean our Air
- Revive our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix our Climate
The five categories were inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals: The restoration and protection of nature, air cleanliness, ocean revival, waste-free living, and climate action.
Read more about Prince William's Earthshot Prize
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