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HRH speaks of the need for a global agreement to fight climate change
16th July 2008
The Prince of Wales declared today that the world is in a "battle for survival" against climate change and called for a global deal to tackle the issue.
Governments, businesses and the developing world must sign up to a binding deal that is "effective, efficient and equitable", The Prince told a conference for the business and pensions sector at St James's Palace in words later echoed by Lord Stern, author of the Stern Review.
His Royal Highness made his speech at The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders' Group on climate change, which brings together business leaders from major UK and international companies who believe there is an urgent need to develop new and longer-term policies to tackle climate change.
In November 2007, ahead of the UN climate change conference in Indonesia, the group led 170 global companies in issuing the Bali Communiquè to world leaders calling for a comprehensive, legally-binding UN framework to tackle climate change.
The Prince said: "But the Bali Communiqué was not enough. The battle continues and it is my fervent hope that all of you, the leaders and representatives from a wide range of leading international companies and investment institutions, will come together in even greater numbers to agree on what Lord Stern calls the key elements of a global deal on climate change.
"This is what Governments are trying to work out. The next occasion when they will all come together is, as you know, in Poznan in December, with the crucial meeting in Copenhagen at the end of 2009.
"There has to be a deal and it has to result in tough and urgent action.
"What better way to achieve that than by creating an unprecedented global corporate alliance of agreement on what that global deal should be.
"I often use the analogy of war because we are engaged in a battle for survival.
"We must mobilise ourselves - indeed, the whole world - with that real sense of wartime urgency and resolve to act.
"Climate change is happening now and is having devastating consequences."
Believing the scientific evidence and acting on targets of an average global cut in carbon dioxide emissions of 50 per cent, meaning 80 per cent in the developed world, relative to 1990 levels by 2050 is the challenge, the conference was told.
Lord Stern warned that "if we miss them (the targets), we are in deep trouble" and said that a deal stands no chance of working unless richer nations, having helped in the devastation but blessed with technical know-how, find the political will to get the growing populations of vulnerable developing nations onside.
Lord Stern argued that richer nations must share their funds and technology: "It is not just good enough for the rich world to develop technology and then rip off the developing world for its use."
He also warned: "We must not underestimate their resentment. It is that feeling of 'you rich world have filled the atmosphere and now you are telling us to take a different development path'.
"The resentment from the developing world is very deep and understandable. But this is not going to work unless the developing world is part of the story."
Lord Stern said that targets were important for a global deal along with richer nations leading by example so that developing countries could take on "explicitly strong" targets by 2020.
He also called for the development of the carbon emissions market, deforestation to be halted and a bolstering of technology, including government backing and support for solar and wind energy.
Cutting back emissions was also key, Lord Stern said.
Click here to read The Prince's speech.