Kate Middleton andPrince Williamare shining a spotlight on an important cause: global warming.
During anouting to the mountainous north in Pakistan on Wednesday, the royal couple saw firsthand the effects of climate change in Pakistan when they saw a melting glacier.
William and Kate, who arrived in Pakistan on Monday evening, then walked on the northern tip of a glacier in the Hindu Kush mountain range — a stark example of the climate change crisis affecting the area. The royals, who were presented with traditional Chitrali hats as they landed in Chitral the Hindu Khush, near the Afghan border, saw how the glacier has retreated in recent years as a result of global warming.
Through their visit to the glacier, the royals hope to shine a light on the “very real consequences of global warming, and its devastating effects on our planet,” their spokesman says.
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Kate Middleton and Prince William.NEIL HALL/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The pair also saw a number of “inspiring community-led initiatives that aim to equip the local society with the tools they need to adjust to the changing landscape and weather patterns in the area,” the palace adds.
At the glacier, William said, “more education, more awareness and political action” was needed to tackle climate change.
“The young are starting to get engaged in it,” William continued, adding that a “positive conversation” around the issue of climate change and global warming was required in order to enact change.
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William, who graduated from the University of St. Andrews with a geography degree, said: “Dr. Warren, my geography teacher, would be well impressed that I’m back at a glacier after all these years.”
William continued to eagerly ask Dr. Bashir about the glacier’s size and flooding while on their tour. According to the glacier expert, there are more than 5,000 reasonable sized glaciers in the area but nearly 70 percent of them are retreating due to global warming — this includes the Chiatibo Glacier.
Kate Middleton.Samir Hussein/WireImage
In a speech at a cultural reception on Monday night, William covered issues including education for girls and climate change, urging Britain and Pakistan to continue to work together.
Kate Middleton and Prince William.Samir Hussein/WireImage
Later, in a settlement of the local Kalash people, William and Kate, both 37, will join some children and young people from the tribe in the village square.
source: people.com
