Prince William’s COP30 Speech: A Defining Call for Global Climate Unity & Action

Communities around the world are already facing rising seas, extreme heat, wildfires, floods, droughts, and increasing frequency of extreme weather. We saw the disastrous impact of simultaneous floods, fires, and droughts in Brazil in 2023.

Just this year, I visited the Welsh town of Pontypridd with my wife Catherine, where the community is still recovering from devastating floods. I met families who had lost their homes, their possessions, and their sense of security. One resident told me how the river that once brought life to the town had become a source of fear.

Their resilience was deeply moving. It was also a powerful reminder that climate change is not a distant threat: it is affecting lives across the UK and across the world. From small towns to major cities, from coastal communities to inland regions: no corner of the globe will be unaffected.

These impacts pose risks to growth, security, and wellbeing in all countries. But we know that these risks often fall hardest on those who contributed least to the crisis. This demands urgent, coordinated action.

We must ask ourselves: what legacy do we wish to leave? Because the impact of our choices today will be felt by families everywhere: in the safety of their homes, the stability of their livelihoods, and the health of the natural world that sustains us all.

The road ahead will be tough. We must transform the way we power our lives, produce our goods, travel, and care for our land.

But this is not just a challenge: it is a profound opportunity. An opportunity to build cleaner economies, restore nature, and improve the health and wellbeing of communities everywhere. An opportunity to grow our economies, develop new technologies, and create secure and affordable energy systems that are central to our future prosperity and security.

Action on climate not only protects future generations: it is a powerful engine to create better jobs and better lives today.

We need to work together to build resilience from the escalating costs of climate change and become nature-positive. This means incentivising protection and restoration, not destruction. It means recognising nature’s true value, not only in economic terms, but in its ability to sustain life, culture, and community.

As we stand together in the heart of the Amazon: a region vital to global climate stability and home to Indigenous communities who have safeguarded these forests for generations, we are reminded that true climate leadership means listening to those who have lived in harmony with nature and empowering them as stewards of the planet’s most precious ecosystems.

At London Climate Action Week, I convened governments, philanthropists, and Indigenous leaders to issue a call to action for land tenure and forest finance pledges to be delivered here at COP30. That call continued through New York Climate Week and brings us here to Belém, where we must listen to the voices and leadership of Indigenous peoples and local communities who care for half of the world’s land and a third of its remaining intact forests.

Their territories are vital for climate mitigation and biodiversity preservation — yet only 11% of this land is legally recognised. Where Indigenous and local communities have secured land rights, deforestation is lower, biodiversity is richer, and carbon is better stored. Yet nearly 800 million hectares of their land remain unrecognised.

Tenure security empowers communities to resist harmful projects and pursue sustainable livelihoods. This is not just a moral imperative: it is a practical climate solution.

Let us build a future where Indigenous peoples and local communities are recognised as global climate leaders, where their rights are protected, their voices heard, and their knowledge respected as vital to the health of our planet.

It is important also to acknowledge the progress we have made. From the Paris Agreement to the Global Biodiversity Framework, we have shown that this can be a unifying agenda. When nations come together, we can chart a course toward a cleaner, fairer future. And the United Kingdom stands with you in this mission.

At COP26, the commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030: signed by over 140 countries, was a historic alignment of global will and has already exceeded its target. Since then, the global goal on adaptation has been agreed, and the fund for responding to loss and damage has been operationalised so resources can begin flowing to communities hit hardest by climate impacts.

The COP26 Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Forest Tenure Pledge has already exceeded its target of $1.7 billion, with over $1.86 billion supporting forest communities.

Climate finance is growing. Action is being taken on emissions. Renewable clean energy is expanding at record pace, creating thousands of jobs and boosting economies. Countries are embedding nature into climate strategies, launching adaptation plans, and investing in nature-based solutions.

These are not just policies, they are lifelines.

Brazil’s proposal for the Tropical Forests Forever Fund is a visionary step toward valuing nature’s role in climate stability. That is why it was an Earthshot Prize finalist this year. The initiative recognises that climate and nature must be addressed together/ not in silos, but in synergy.

The science is clear: we must go further if we are to secure a liveable future for all: and we must go together.

The time for partnership, protection, and progress is now. We know what is at stake. We know what must be done. And we know that no country, no community, and no individual can do it alone.

Our children and grandchildren will stand on the shoulders of our collective action. 

Let us use these inspiring surroundings here in the Amazon to rise to this moment, not with hesitation, but with courage; not with division, but with collaboration; not with delay, but with decisive commitment. Let us honour the leadership of those who have long protected the planet, indigenous peoples and local communities, and walk forward together.

Let us build a future where nature is valued and where every child inherits a world of prosperity, not peril. Let us rise to this moment with the clarity that history demands of us. Let us be the generation that turned the tide, not for applause, but for the quiet gratitude of those yet to be born.

This, here at COP30, is our moment. Let us not waste it.

Our children and grandchildren are watching, and hoping."

Prince William’s words arrive at a time when climate action is increasingly shaped not only by science and global agreements, but by narratives, some inspiring, others deeply misleading.

We live in a moment where conversations about the environment often unfold not in scientific journals or international halls, but across social media feeds, comment threads, and political soundbites. In those spaces, complex truths can become flattened into slogans; urgent realities can be questioned or dismissed; and genuine environmental challenges are sometimes overshadowed by polarised debate and culture-war dynamics.

Yet speeches like this remind us of something quieter and more enduring:

Real climate progress is built on collaboration, grounded science, and steady determination, not noise, not division, not quick wins or viral posts.

The Prince’s remarks emphasise themes that rise above political cycles and online discourse:

• Responsibility across generations

• Respect for science and lived experience

• The wisdom and rights of Indigenous communities

• Collaboration between nations, sectors, and individuals

• Optimism grounded in action, not wishful thinking

At Carbon Neutral Britain, we hold the same perspective.

Climate action is not about winning arguments on the internet or choosing sides in political theatre. It is about protecting lives, restoring nature, enhancing energy security, and creating a fairer, more resilient world, all supported by credible evidence, practical solutions, and the diverse voices of communities.

Where misinformation creates confusion, truth and transparency must bring clarity. Where cynicism spreads online, lived examples of progress must bring confidence.

Our approach remains simple and grounded:

• Work with businesses and communities.

• Support measurable and meaningful climate action.

• Champion science, evidence, and fairness.

• Empower people to act, not argue.

Prince William’s message reinforces the same humility and shared effort that guides our mission: to help Britain, and the world, move beyond debate into real, practical climate solutions that benefit everyone, now and for generations to come.