Jack Ma, Yao Ming join Prince William on project

"We have to have the confidence to make this change," Yao said. "Regardless of the impact our actions have had upon the natural world, I believe that with enough desire and optimism, we can reverse this and repair our planet," he added.

Alibaba founder Ma said: "We only have one Earth in this world and the pandemic has made it clear that mankind cannot live without the Earth, but that Earth can live without mankind. Today we all live in the same forest that is already on fire. If we work together, we can all do a little bit today, and overcome our challenges."

The Earthshot Prize council also includes British broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough, Australian actor Cate Blanchett and Naoko Yamazaki, the Japanese former astronaut onboard the International Space Station.

Attenborough said: "I really do think things are about to start to move, and this sort of idea could be the spark that is really going to give it the lift and the impetus to develop into something huge."