Monaco: Prince William has issued a strong plea for urgent international action to protect the world’s oceans, warning that humanity is facing an unprecedented environmental crisis.
Speaking at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco on Sunday, just ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference in France, the Prince of Wales highlighted the mounting threats to marine ecosystems, including rising sea temperatures, plastic pollution, and overfishing.
“What once seemed an abundant resource is diminishing before our eyes,” said William, stressing the critical state of the oceans.
“Put simply: the ocean is under enormous threat, but it can revive itself. But, only if together, we act now.”
The U.N. Ocean Conference, set to begin Monday, is focused on galvanizing global support to ratify a treaty for protecting ocean biodiversity—an agreement that still lacks enough signatories to be enforced.
Prince William addressed the Monaco forum in his capacity as founder of the Earthshot Prize, an initiative he launched in 2020 to accelerate solutions to pressing environmental challenges over the next decade.
Adding weight to the message, William’s office on Saturday released a video conversation between the prince and world-renowned broadcaster and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough, who discussed his upcoming documentary Ocean. The film sheds light on the devastating impact of human activity on the world’s seas.
“The thing which I am appalled by, when I first saw the shots that were taken for this film are what we have done to the deep ocean floor,” Attenborough said in the video. “If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms.”
Prince William’s comments and advocacy come as part of a growing global push to highlight the ocean’s crucial role in climate regulation, food security, and biodiversity.
