Royal Criticism of Environmental Progress: Hope or Hypicrisy?

Rory Sullivan, Staff Writer

November 8, 2021

Through the never-ending drama of the British Royal Family, it is widely known that they do not, or at least, should not comment on political issues. However, with the UN COP26 Summit fast approaching, set to take place in Glasgow, some Royals have begun to make their opinions on climate inaction more public.  On October 14th, Queen Elizabeth II was caught criticizing world leaders, stating it was "irritating" when "they talk, but they don't do". While her son, Prince Charles, is fairly outspoken on environmental issues, the Queen’s role is to remain an impartial and unbiased figure. Though her conversation was meant to be private and was recorded accidentally, it demonstrates that the Queen may have stronger opinions than she is allowed to portray. In addition to the Queen’s comments, Prince William, in a BBC interview, had some strong words for the ongoing Space Race, stating that it is "crucial to be focusing on this [planet] rather than giving up and heading out into space to try and think of solutions for the future". In reference to COP26, Prince William echoes his grandmother’s words by stating that “We can’t have more clever speak, clever words but not enough action”.

But is the demand for action from members of the Royal Family  How much environmental work have they done to stave off carbon emissions? Prince William launched his own Earthshot Prize, designed to seek innovative ideas for climate change, worth $1.4 million each, and Prince Charles is involved in environmental activism, but do their actions line up with their apparent commitment? Their land is twice the size of Greater London and has brought forth many calls for the Royals to rewild it. Joel Scott-Halkes, co-founder of Wild Card, presented the Royals’  interest in the environment as an opportunity, “These are real, glaring omissions in the otherwise great green image of the Royals, and ultimately mean they've got a huge opportunity to really walk the walk, not just talk the talk, on climate action”. His words are parallels of Prince William and Queen Elizabeth’s criticism of climate inaction, signalling that while their disapproval of inaction may be correct, they are major players in this inaction themselves. In July 2021, Queen Elizabeth gained an exemption from the Scottish climate bill that would have required her to participate in a renewable energy initiative, the only exemption given from this bill thus far.

However, even if the Royal Family’s actions may not match their words, it does signify that climate change is becoming less political and more humanitarian, and the leadership role of the Royal Family, however symbolic it may be, seems to be on the side of fighting climate change. The same cannot be said for those that they are criticizing, namely the world leaders who will be at COP26 and the billionaires who are treating space as their vanity project. Leaked documents show that major carbon emitters such as Japan, Saudi Arabia and Japan are actively trying to move the climate document away from its emphasis on cutting fossil fuels. Rather than focus on plans of cutting their emissions, they instead are pushing the United Nations to consider nuclear energy, or Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, whose feasibility is unknown.  The focus of countries, especially wealthy ones, remains on short-term profits rather than long-term well-being, and it seems as though COP26 will remain as surface-level as the Royals predicted. Even though countries will be forced to share their plans during COP26, these plans may not be productive or have substance.

The billionaire Space Race, with Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Elon Musk at the centre, was also the subject of criticism from the Royals. In addition to his earlier comments about the misplaced focus of billionaires, Prince William also cites “a rise in climate anxiety” as young people’s “futures are basically threatened”. There has been widespread criticism of the Space Race, from an environmental perspective and as a critique of the display of wealth, both of which see the Space Race as a sign that the uber-wealthy do not view the issues on Earth as worthy of their time or money. With Musk planning to colonize Mars by 2050, Branson’s Virgin Galactic space tourism flights having already sold six hundred $250 000 tickets, and Bezos planning to open his own private space station, the carbon emissions from these trips could have disastrous effects on the environment, especially as this type of casual space travel has yet to be explored. These may not seem like major emissions in comparison to the emitters on Earth, however, this industry is poised for immense growth and we could see the emissions from the Space Race rise exponentially.

Though the comments concerning climate inaction from the Royal Family may seem hypocritical, as there are many ways in which they could improve their green actions, it presents a valid critique of other powerful figures and their neglect of climate change. For too long, powerful actors have talked with barely any action to show for it, and as the Royals stated, this type of short-sightedness will have dangerous consequences on the environment and future generations. At the very least, the Royal Family are becoming leaders in pushing for green action, especially in comparison to world leaders with their eyes on profits and billionaires focused on their vanity projects. With signs that they are beginning to consider rewilding, perhaps the Royal Family can become leaders in action  in addition to words. In a world with empty promises and unlikely change, it is refreshing to have major players voicing their opinions and reflecting on how they can change their own ways for the future.