No-one’s perfect, Harry tells sustainable tourism launch after private jets row

The Duke of Sussex has spoken about his impact on the environment after the furore that followed his use of private jets, saying “no-one is perfect”.

Speaking at the launch of an ambitious global project to encourage the tourism industry to become more sustainable, Harry said what is important is “what we do to balance” out negative effects.

Harry and wife Meghan have faced mounting criticism after reportedly taking four private jet journeys in 11 days during the summer, which is at odds with their views on supporting the environment.

The duke flew to the Netherlands on a commercial plane for the launch event in Amsterdam but is likely to face further criticism in the press for not directly commenting on his private flight choices at the event focused on encouraging travel firms and tourists to make sustainable decisions.

Harry has spent three years working on the initiative, called Travalyst, which he hopes will improve conservation, environmental protection and help increase the economic benefits from tourism for local communities.

The duke and the co-founders of the project – Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa – hope to spark a movement of like-minded companies and organisations to transform the future of travel into a more sustainable one.

Harry said in a speech to launch the initiative at Amsterdam’s A’dam Tower: “What is clear across this vast landscape is that our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale. From deforestation and the loss of biodiversity, to ocean plastics and poaching, the problems can sometimes seem too big to fix.

“These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. And that is what this partnership is here to try and do.

“Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can’t make a difference.

“I’ve certainly felt that – but I’ve learned that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something, just because we can’t do everything. We can all do better.

“And, while no-one is perfect, we are all responsible for our own individual impact; the question is what we do to balance it out.”