Prince William Blasts Emerging Space Tourism Industry

Prince William criticized billionaires who involve themselves in the space tourism industry, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. Instead, he suggested their time would be better spent focusing on environmental concerns instead of the void of space.

“We need some of the world's greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live,” Prince William said in a BBC interview.

These comments come ahead of the first-ever Earthshot Prize, a competition for those who have solutions to sustainably help the environment. The Royal Foundation gives the prize of £1 million.

The British royal family has long expressed concern for environmental issues, especially climate change. Prince William follows in the family's footsteps, especially after his father. He pointed out that Prince Charles “talked about climate change a lot more, very early on, before anyone else thought it was a topic.”

On Wednesday, William Shatner became the oldest person in the world to go to space aboard Bezos’ Blue Origin suborbital capsule.

The question of the environmental impacts of more accessible space travel is William’s deepest concern. He made it clear that he has no interest in going to space himself due to the carbon cost of everything involved with space travel.

Prince William said young people’s “futures are basically threatened the whole time.”

In a plea to the public, William suggested adults “remember how much it meant to be outdoors and what we're robbing those future generations of.”