Prince William Is a ‘Beacon’ for Worldwide Environment Mission, Says Robert Irwin (Exclusive)

Australian TV star Robert Irwin is full of praise for Prince William.

As the latest Earthshot award winners for 41-year-old William are revealed today, Tuesday, Irwin says he is “a true beacon for everyone in the conservation field”.

“It’s hard to put into words how big Earthshot is for wildlife conservation, for climate action, for the world. For Prince William, who has such a great platform to lend his voice, his resources to create positive change is such a refreshing, wonderful thing to see. I applaud what he’s doing,” he tells PEOPLE.

Prince William on Monday in Singapore.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The conservationist is in Singapore to present the award at the third annual ceremony that recognizes innovative ideas that try to tackle the world’s environmental challenges.

“I dedicated my life to the preservation of wild animals. I share that with Prince William and admire him greatly. He is definitely someone I look up to and I hope I can create the same kind of change that he did. He is a true beacon to everyone in the conservation field,” says Irwin.

Irwin, 19, is an advocate and ambassador for Earthshot, and was joined by his girlfriend, Rorie Buckey, in Singapore for the ceremony.

Robert Irwin, right, and his late father Steve. Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; Marc Grimwade/WireImage

Inspired by his late father, wildlife expert Steve Irwin, Robert and his family, including sister Bindi, champion their conservation foundation Wildlife Warriors and help endangered species through Australia Zoo.

Robert Irwin and his girlfriend Rorie Buckey arrive at the Earthshot Awards in Singapore on Tuesday.

MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty

“Earthshot is an example of everything we’re trying to achieve on such a large scale. We’ve been doing all this for years. Now, when comes the Earthshot Award, which brings all these questions out into the world on a level that is second to none.”

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Earthshot — first conceived by Prince William in 2018 — was named after President JF Kennedy’s desire to send astronauts to the moon, his snapshot of the moon.

“[Earthshot is] ambitious, but so was going to the moon,” says the zookeeper.

“No one speaks about it better than Prince William himself. When you hear him say ‘yes, this is ambitious, but we need to take action now and we can make it happen’. That’s what our family has always been,” he says.

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Earthshot organizers are aware that many young people are concerned about the seemingly insurmountable environmental problems facing the Earth. But William’s idea centers around the hope that answers can be found.

Prince William, while giving a speech in Singapore on Monday.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

And Irwin is also helping to reach some of that younger generation. “We are aware that we are inheriting some huge problems. We know that we are a generation, I hate to say it, but one that has to clean up the mess. There are some really, really big problems facing our world. But Earthshot is a beacon of hope, and we’re here to reward those who lead the way and create change,” he tells PEOPLE.

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“It’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed. But it gives us all hope. We have an incredible golden ticket, a huge opportunity to create change that will resonate for generations to come. This is the moment in time, in human history, the most important decade, I would say, when it comes to environmental change. And Earthshot is here to lead and work with other like-minded organizations and projects.”

The Earthshot Awards kick off later this morning with a green carpet appearance by Earthshot Awards Council member Cate Blanchett, co-host actor/producer Sterling K. Brown and Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham. Among the musical performers will be Bastille and OneRepublic.

This year’s Earthshot Awards will be broadcast in the US on PBS on November 12 and on the BBC in the UK

The show will also be available to stream on YouTube.

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Source: HIS Education