Prince Harry's Sustainable Travel Partnership With Google Is Off To A 'Flying Start,' Royal Biographer Says
Prince Harry's new partnership with Google has gotten off to a "flying start", according to royal biographer Omid Scobie.
Google announced a new initiative with the Duke of Sussex's non-profit organization, Travalyst. The companies will develop a model to calculate carbon emissions from air travel to be used as the industry gold standard, the Express reported.
"The company announced today they will now report carbon emissions data for all flights," the Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family author tweeted. "This is alongside the fuel-efficient routing options just added to Google Maps."
Last month, Harry welcomed Google to Travalyst's sustainable initiative.
According to the Travalyst website, "led by The Duke of Sussex in partnership with Booking.com, Google, Skyscanner, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor, and Visa, Travalyst is a non-profit organization working to identify — and help bring about — the systemic changes needed in order for sustainable travel to be taken out of the niche, and into the mainstream."
"Addressing the challenge of climate change requires us to find solutions at scale, and this is especially true when it comes to travel and tourism," Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google said in a statement last month. "By working with Travalyst and our industry partners, we aim to build tools and technology that enable travelers and businesses around the world to prioritize sustainability."
At the time, Travalyst said that the new partnership was a "significant step forward." It praised Google for it's "commitment to helping consumers make more sustainable travel choices."
Last month, Harry and Meghan Markle were criticized after they flew home from the Global Citizen Live concert in New York in a private jet. The event advocated for the fight against climate change.
In 2019, Harry said he spends "99% of my life traveling the world by commercial." "Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe, and it’s genuinely as simple as that," he said when asked about why he flies on private jets.
