The Prince of Wales has urged children to imagine a sustainable future and sketch it so “we can help make our planet strong and healthy for generations to come”.

Charles set youngsters the challenge to mark Earth Day, an annual event celebrating the environmental movement and raising awareness about the importance of creating a sustainable world.

The theme for Earth Day 2022 is “Invest in our Planet”, with a focus on encouraging nations and individuals to invest and switch to greener technologies and practices.

The Prince’s Foundation has released a video of Charles reading his foreword for It’s Up To Us, a book for children explaining his Terra Carta, an ambitious Magna Carta-style charter aimed at encouraging the private sector to safeguard the planet by adopting sustainability and investing 10 billion US dollars (£7.3 billion) in “natural capital”.

The film features children from around the world reading the book and committing to the challenge to build a better future.

Charles says in the video: “What the world needs is for children all around it to imagine the type of future you want to build. Now, I don’t know about you but I love to draw and paint like many of the artists in this book.

“So here’s my challenge to you: take out a blank piece of paper and draw, paint or write about the future you would like to see, one that puts nature at the heart of everything we do.

“That way we can share our ideas with as many people as possible. And together we can help make our planet strong and healthy for generations to come.”

It’s Up To Us is written by world history author Christopher Lloyd and illustrated by 33 artists from across the globe. It begins with a thought-provoking introduction to nature, moving on to the threats we face and finishing with an action plan.

The book was heavily inspired by the work being done by the Prince’s Foundation, which has Charles as president, at its Dumfries House headquarters in Scotland to educate children about sustainability.

The charity runs a wide variety of hands-on education programmes at the Ayrshire estate for visiting pupils, aiming to encourage them to engage with nature and think about the holistic ways in which they can help the planet.