Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have urged their social media followers to support 16-year-old Swedish vegan climate change activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg.
Youth climate activist organization This is Zero Hour, primatologist and environmentalist Dr. Jane Goodall, climate change-focused organization the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, and wildlife conservation organization Elephants Without Borders were among the other Instagram accounts Markle and Prince Harry encouraged fans to follow and learn more about.
“There is a ticking clock to protect our planet,” they wrote on their Instagram page, Sussex Royal.
“With climate change, the deterioration of our natural resources, endangerment of sacred wildlife, the impact of plastics and microplastics, and fossil fuel emissions, we are jeopardizing this beautiful place we call home – for ourselves and for future generations,” they continued. “Let’s save it. Let’s do our part.”
The Influence of Greta Thunberg
In the last few months, Thunberg has become the voice and face of young environmentalists around the world. She has led school walkouts and protests, given powerful speeches, and held world leaders accountable.
“This ongoing irresponsible behavior will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind,” she told UK MPs at Westminster earlier this year, reports the Guardian. She was referring to their failure to take significant and meaningful action with regard to the current climate crisis.
“The UK’s active current support of new exploitation of fossil fuels, like for example the UK shale gas fracking industry, the expansion of its North Sea oil and gas fields, the expansion of airports, as well as the planning permission for a brand new coalmine, is beyond absurd,” she said.
Prince Harry appears to agree with the young activist’s sentiment. He said in a statement on Instagram, “environmental damage has been treated as a necessary by-product of economic growth. So deeply ingrained is this thinking that it has been considered part of the natural order that humankind’s development comes at the expense of our planet.”
He continued, “only now are we starting to notice and understand the damage we’ve been causing. With nearly 7.7 billion people inhabiting this Earth, every choice, every footprint, every action makes a difference.”
