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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

Don’t expectPrince Williamto join in the frenzy over space tourism.

During an interview onBBC’sNewscastpodcastreleased Thursday, the 39-year-old royal said the money and brainpower being funneled into the new space race ought to be geared toward climate change instead.

“We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live,” William told host Adam Fleming.

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But now is not the time for endeavors like this, William said. He believes climate change should take priority.

“We’ve got time to do this,” he told Fleming. “We have 10 years of critical time where we have to make an inroad and find new solutions and inspire people who can fix these solutions because past 2030, things get rapidly worse very quickly.”

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

“I think that ultimately is what sold it for me — that it really is quite crucial to be focusing on this [planet] rather than giving up and heading out into space to try and think of solutions for the future,” he said.

Looking forward, William says he plans to keep his advocacy — and his feet — planted firmly on Earth. “I have no interest in going up that high,” the former Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot said of space tourism. Though he did once reached 65,000 feet in a plane — “and that was truly terrifying.”

source: people.com