Prince William talks climate change in Boston for Earthshot Prize

A downpour of rain did not stop Bostonians from turning out to City Hall Plaza Wednesday afternoon to welcome Prince William and Princess Kate to the city, who traveled to Massachusetts for an awards ceremony later this week dedicated to fighting climate change.

The royal couple met privately with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu prior to taking the stage shortly before 5 p.m. to congratulate Boston for being selected to host The Earthshot Prize Awards, which is dedicated to contributions to fighting climate change.

Speaking to a large crowd gathered in front of the MBTAs Government Center stop, Prince William said Boston was the obvious choice for the awards ceremony because of the many universities with research centers and the areas startup scene.

He said he was also inspired to choose Boston because of its relation to President John F. Kennedy, who called the city home.

President John F. Kennedys moonshot speech laid down a challenge to American innovation and ingenuity, he said. We choose to go to the moon, he said, not because it is easy, but because it is hard. It was that moonshot speech that inspired me to launch The Earthshot Prize, with the aim of doing the same for climate change as President Kennedy did for the space race.Read more: Royal Family thanks Mass. residents, Gov. Baker as they arrive in Boston

Prince William and Princess Kate landed at Logan International Airport earlier in the day and had lunch with Gov. Charlie Baker and his wife. The royal couple is on a three-day stay in Massachusetts in the lead-up to the awards ceremony.

Their itinerary includes stops at the Chelsea nonprofit Roca, Greentown Labs in Somerville, the center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester.

The visit has generated buzz in Boston, and residents were clamoring to get a view of the royals Wednesday, at times yelling at people in front of them to lower their umbrellas so those in the back could see.

Wu, who used the fight against climate change as a major policy plank in her bid for mayor, said she was proud that Massachusetts not only inspired President Joe Bidens challenge for the United States to find a cure for cancer the Cancer Moonshot but also to be chosen as the host for The Earthshot Prize ceremony.

Today, Boston is curing cancer and Alzheimers as a global healthcare and sciences hub, educating the world at our universities, and building a workforce for the green economy while taking climate action across every neighborhood, Wu said.

Prince William said the Wu administration has been a leader in putting climate policy at the heart of your administration.

Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things and that human beings have the ability to lead innovate and problem-solve, he said.Read more: Crowd gathers ahead of public Boston appearance by Prince William, Princess Kate

Gov.-elect Maura Healey, fresh off a gubernatorial win earlier this month, was also on hand to offer remarks, saying the state was absolutely ecstatic, so excited, and delighted that the royal couple traveled across the pond to the birthplace of the United States.

You demonstrate, you show your commitment to climate issues and social change as well as an unyielding commitment to our young people. We are so grateful as a city, as a state, as a country for your commitment and we welcome you here, Healey said.

Healey said the world is still reeling from a summer of climate calamities, like raging fires in Canada, the western United States, and Europe, deadly flooding, and extensive heatwaves.

These dire impacts of climate change stress our power and our public health systems and disproportionately harm our disadvantaged and low-wealth communities, she said. The need for innovation and leadership has never been more clear. In the next decade, we must make the right choices and find affordable environmental solutions to build the clean future we need for our communities, our health, our economy, and our planet.

Prince William and David Attenborough, an English broadcaster, launched The Earthshot Prize in 2020. It was first awarded in 2021, and it is scheduled to run every year until 2030.

The prize, a grant of 1 million, is awarded to five winners picked from a shortlist of 15 finalists after a global search.

We believe that our Earthshot solutions can have the greatest impact when they are met with best support, the website for the award says. We help them meet the funders, businesses, and individuals who can help them grow.Read more: You can see Prince William and Princess Kate in Boston; heres where

This years ceremony is scheduled for Friday at the MGM Music Hall near Fenway Park in Boston.

Wu is scheduled to join Prince William and Princess Kate of Wales for a harborside walk along Piers Park at 3 p.m. Thursday.