Prince William addressed investors at the Guildhall, calling on them to abandon the "status quo" and commit to greater financial backing of environmental solutions.
The Prince of Wales delivered his keynote speech at the Investing for Impact event, hosted by The Earthshot Prize, as part of London Climate Action Week.
The event aimed to connect potential investors with environmental innovators, showcasing success stories from the Earthshot Prize and the wider environmental community.
Speaking to attendees, he emphasised: "What we do here today, together, is of the utmost importance."
Prince William spoke to investors at the Guildhall about the environment and avoiding ‘accepting the status quo’ .
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"Collectively, we have signed up to a global commitment to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by 2030," he began with praise.
However, the Prince delivered a stark warning about the current state of global conservation efforts, highlighting the significant gap between ambitions and reality.
"2030 is just five years away, and only 17 per cent of land and just three per cent of the ocean has been fully protected," Prince William warned.
"Climate and nature-based solutions are the foundation of long-term security, stability and prosperity. More than half of global GDP depends on nature," he urged.
William warned that only 3 per cent of the world's oceans were protected.
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The Prince continued, arguing that protecting and restoring the natural world offers dual benefits.
"Solutions that regenerate the natural world and offer positive market returns, also boost economic opportunities," William said.
Prince William cited several Earthshot Prize finalists as evidence of successful environmental investments.
The Prince of Wales founded the award, which celebrates contributions towards environmentalism, with Sir David Attenborough in 2020.
William celebrated the work of The EarthShot Prize finalists as an example to follow.
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"Earlier this year, 2024 Finalist NatureMetrics successfully raised $25million (£18million) in its first Series B funding to develop pioneering biodiversity monitoring tools," he said.
He also highlighted recent funding successes: "Only this month, 2021 Winner Coral Vita announced it had closed over $8million (£5million) in Series A funding to advance its mission to restore degraded reefs and regenerate ocean health."
The Prince noted that "just last week, 2023 Finalist, Colorifix, reached a first close of a series B2 round of $18million (£13million) to transform textile dyeing without petrochemicals."
"Ideas and initiatives need strong backing if they are to scale and realise their incredible potential," Prince William stated.
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The Prince had spoken with indigenous representatives at an event earlier that day.
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To that end, the royal issued a call to action to the attendees: "Rather than simply accepting the status quo, we need to back many more, if we are to close the gap to 2030."
"This is a huge, untapped opportunity and one I’m passionate and excited about," he concluded.
William's appearance at the Investing for Impact event was his second speech on conservation matters in one day.
The Prince had earlier attended a high-level roundtable discussion at St James's Palace alongside Government leaders and Indigenous representatives to discuss the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in protecting nature ahead of COP30.
While there, he called for "courage" in the handling of threats to the planet.
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