What Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Just Pledged To Do By 2030

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had one hell of a year. From leaving the royal family and moving to California to publicly dissing the royal family in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, the former royal couple left no stone unturned in their quest for a new life as private citizens. They were lambasted by Piers Morgan and the British tabloids, and unsurprisingly created a rift between Harry and his family. Meghan too has had countless rifts with her family, from her father to her brother to her half-sister. Aside from all their personal drama, the Sussexes are perhaps capturing the most attention for their philanthropic endeavors.

At COP26, a climate change-focused summit in Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth II gave a speech the Daily Mail called "deeply personal" — however, she did appear virtually, as the queen has been advised to rest following her recent medical scare. Not to be outdone, Meghan and Harry have made a big announcement regarding their foundation, Archewell.

In a statement on Archewell's website, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that their foundation would become "net zero by 2030." Net zero means zero carbon emissions, and the statement laid out what constitutes a carbon footprint and considerations the foundation plans to take to achieve its lofty goal. Over the course of the next decade, Archewell will monitor its use of electricity and heating, its reliance on "big industries that contribute to the problem," its employees' commutes and transport, and the food it provides its employees.

The statement went on to say that Archewell will spend 2022 monitoring its carbon footprint so it can identify where changes need to be made and then develop a plan to achieve zero carbon emissions. "We can be net zero," the statement read, "and this is what we pledge to do."

The Daily Mail noted that Queen Elizabeth II neglected to mention Harry, a staunch environmentalist, in her COP26 speech. A royal expert told the paper that the omission was "glaring," especially since she mentioned Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Prince William. Even if Harry and the rest of the royal family have had their differences throughout 2021, at least they seem to be on the same side when it comes to the environment.