Australian tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Rick Parish has thrown his full support behind King Charles III’s longstanding efforts on climate change and environmental harmony, describing the monarch’s approach as truly visionary.
Parish, founder of deep-tech company Kinetic7 Technologies, said the King’s recent address to the US Congress during the royal visit to the United States has reinforced his own determination to tackle one of the most pressing humanitarian crises facing the Commonwealth: energy inequality and the deadly impact of household air pollution.
Kinetic7 Technologies, headquartered in Abu Dhabi with offices across Italy, Europe, Australia and the UK, has developed portable cooking stoves that generate clean hydrogen gas on demand using only water and solar power. The technology is designed specifically to replace dangerous wood-burning and inefficient stoves used by millions of families across Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing nations.
Household air pollution from traditional cooking methods causes an estimated 3.1 million premature deaths each year worldwide, including more than 237,000 children under the age of five. Beyond the human cost, the reliance on firewood contributes heavily to deforestation, carbon emissions, and climate change across many Commonwealth countries. Women and children often walk up to 10 kilometers a day for wood, further exposing themselves to sexual violence.
Parish was moved to act after witnessing these realities firsthand during his travels in Africa. His commitment deepened following the tragic death of his four-year-old son, Elliot, from brain cancer. Seeing families and children suffering from toxic smoke and respiratory illnesses strengthened his resolve to create meaningful change and “leave the world in a better place” — a mission he believes aligns closely with King Charles’ philosophy of Harmony.
“His Majesty, as the former Prince of Wales, was so ahead of his time many years ago on the environment, climate change and deforestation, and nobody was prepared to listen,” Parish said. “Only now is the world waking up to his wisdom and philosophy of Harmony, understanding the importance of the symbiotic relationship between mankind and the natural world.”
At the center of Kinetic7’s efforts are two new portable stoves: the Tribe™ stove, created for everyday humanitarian use in developing communities, and the Nomad™ stove, designed for rapid deployment in disaster zones, emergency relief, and military operations. Both produce clean hydrogen gas on demand with zero carbon emissions at the point of use.
The company has also developed the world’s first Carbon Free Kitchen, a modular shipping-container system capable of providing large-scale clean cooking facilities for schools, humanitarian operations and community groups across Africa.
Parish, who has invested heavily in six years of research and development, sees his work as a practical way to support King Charles’ initiatives through the Sustainable Markets Initiative, The King’s Foundation and the Harmony Project. He aims to partner with NGOs, UNICEF, the United Nations, and other organizations to bring clean cooking solutions to families and schools most in need.
“With Kinetic7, we have not only developed a solution for creating clean, carbon-free hydrogen-on-demand energy, but we can also radically reduce the 3.1 million premature deaths caused each year by household air pollution, while helping to reduce the impact of climate change and large-scale deforestation,” Parish said. “By uniting private-sector philanthropy and diplomacy with NGOs and partner agencies, we can truly address energy inequality in Africa and other developing nations across the Commonwealth to achieve something truly meaningful.”
The first Kinetic7 stoves are now moving into the commercialization phase, marking an important step toward scaling the technology’s impact. Parish believes the combination of innovative engineering and humanitarian purpose offers a genuine path forward in the global fight against energy poverty and climate challenges.
As King Charles continues to champion sustainability on the world stage, entrepreneurs like Rick Parish are translating that vision into practical solutions that directly improve lives and protect the environment. For millions of families still cooking over open fires, that progress cannot come soon enough.
