Search icon

Environment

25th Nov 2021

Prince William, father of three, worries about African population growth

Kieran Galpin

Someone is throwing stones in his glass castle

Prince William has been labelled a “hypocrite” after stating that he worries about Africa’s population growth and how it will affect the environment.

During the Tusk Conservation Awards gala, which William has been the patron of since 2005, the Royal doubled down on statements he made in 2017 about Africa’s population growth.

“The increasing pressure on Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces as a result of human population presents a huge challenge for conservationists, as it does the world over,” he told the audience.

“It is imperative that the natural world is protected not only for its contribution to our economies, jobs and livelihoods, but for the health, wellbeing and future of humanity.”

The Duke of Cambridge has received backlash online since, after all, he is a father of three himself and heir to the throne of Europe’s second most densely populated country.

Considering 61 per cent of the global population lives in Asia, while only 17 per cent live in Africa, it seems bizarre that the Duke would focus on African environmental issues.

Though the UN predicts that half of the world’s population growth will take place in Africa, it is but one small part of a larger issue.

There is an innate difference between population growth and population density.

“The UK has the second highest population density in Europe, after the Netherlands, with 281 people per km2. In comparison, Africa’s density is just 45 people per km2,” Robin Maynard, Director of the charity Population Matters, told Euronews.

A 2020 study from Oxfam also showed that the average UK citizen produces more carbon in two weeks than an average African person does in an entire year.

But let’s not even mention the Royal Family’s mammoth-sized carbon footprint… 

Related links: