Prince William: Older politicians must listen to the young to save the planet

Older political leaders must understand that the young "mean business" when it comes to saving the planet, the Duke of Cambridge has said, as he pledges to help bridge the generation gap.

The Duke, who is to feature in new documentary about the environment, said the younger generation "won't stand" for being told it was not possible to build a greener society, saying it is now time to "pick up the pace" to be "more vocal" about what is needed.

Speaking of how parenthood has made him even more aware of the need to preserve the planet, he said: “My grandfather, my father, have been in the conservation, the environmental work for many years,

“My grandfather was well ahead of his time.  My father was ahead of his time.

“And I really want to make sure that, in twenty years, George doesn’t turn around and say, are you ahead of your time?  Because if he does, we’re too late.”

On the need to “pick up the pace” to be “more vocal and more educational about what’s going on” in the environment,, he said: “I owe it to them  [the young] to help their voices be heard.

"That generational gap has to be bridged somehow so that the older political leaders understand that the younger generation mean business.

“They want their futures protected. I feel it is my duty and our collective responsibility to leave our planet in a stronger position for our children.”

And speaking of the unexpected side-effect of coronavirus, which has seen the public appreciate the natural world around them in a new light, he added: “We need to build back greener. Young people won’t stand for saying it’s not possible.”

Suggesting he expects to be criticised for his views, the Duke said: "Someone has to put their head above the parapet and say, I care about this."

Filmed over the course of two years, the Duke is seen to tell Sir David Attenborough: ““Every generation, you know, after yours, David, has grown up listening and seeing all the things that you’ve shown them. And, hopefully, each generation listens a little bit more.”

Prince William has been filmed over the past two years in the UK and countries such as Pakistan and Tanzania for the ITV documentary Prince William: A Planet For Us All, which charts his journey from passionate conservationist to wanting to play a greater global leadership role on the environment.

In Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains, the Duke and Duchess saw first hand the effects of climate change on glaciers which are melting at record speeds.

During the official tour last October, William told the documentary: "It's a huge environmental and humanitarian disaster.

"And yet, we still don't seem to be picking up the pace and understanding it quick enough. And I think the young are really getting it.

"And the younger generation are really wanting more and more people to do stuff and want more action.

"And we've got to speed the pace up. We've got to get on top of it and we need to be more vocal and more educational about what's going on."

The documentary follows the duke during a visit to Tanzania in September 2018 and he is filmed feeding a carrot to a rhino called Deborah.

The future king says in the film, which will be screened next Monday: "People might see them and think it's a big tank, a big hulk of an animal, with a big horn, but they are incredibly vulnerable.

"They have brilliant eyesight and people will take advantage of that and they want this horn, which is effectively nail, and that is all it is, it's fingernail. This is where the horn belongs, on a live rhino and that's where it should stay."

Later William is visibly moved as he visits a heavily guarded secure ivory store in Tanzania where 43,000 tusks with a street value of £50 million have been impounded.

He says: "It's a mind-blowing number of tusks, it really is. You can't get your head around it."

William's interest in protecting the natural world and the environment is reflected in his role as patron of Tusk, a conservation organisation working in Africa which aims to secure a peaceful co-existence for the continent's wildlife and its people.

And for more than five years the Transport Taskforce of his umbrella organisation United for Wildlife has been working to facilitate collaboration between the transport sector and law enforcement to prevent wildlife trafficking.

At the end of the programme, William says he believes that 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic has given people a chance to "take stock" of what is important.

He says: "I've been really heartened by what I've been hearing from other people and how they've decided to appreciate nature and experience it and see all the things that they never thought they would.

"Someone has to put their head above the parapet and say, I care about this. To have the belief that if we all work together, we can make a difference."

Prince William: A Planet For Us All will be screened on ITV at 9pm on Monday October 5.