Britain’s Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge have recently been on a five day tour with an increasingly relevant theme; climate change. The royal duo recently took to Pakistan, among other countries, to witness firsthand how climate change is affecting the Earth. Pakistan is home to roughly 7,200 glaciers. Over the last 50 years, 7,000 of those glaciers have begun to melt. William addressed the shocking facts in a speech in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, at the national monument. “This could lead to a loss of over a third of these vital glaciers in less than a century, with enormous impacts not only on the availability of water, but on agriculture and hydropower generation,” the Duke explained. The couple declared that their trip would aid them in learning about the challenges that climate change is posing, and help them develop a way to combat such issues. William and Kate were welcomed with open arms to all of the communities that they visited, even receiving a feathered mountain hat, as well as a photo album of Princess Diana’s visit in 1991. While this is not necessarily political in nature, I truly believe that this is a point of growing concern not only in individual communities, but globally. Any time a celebrity of varying status reaches out to a community on any given issue, that is when movements really gain momentum. Celebrities have a large following, and many people are willing to get involved in a cause if someone that they look up to is leading it. Although climate change is not of immediate concern to many nations, it is far better to stop this devolution before it is too late. William and Kate jumping on this issue early paired with countless other celebrities may ultimately be a winning combination.
