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The Prince of Wales calls for global partnership to tackle climate change in a speech to the European Parliament in Brussels
14th February 2008
The Prince of Wales urged the world to form a global partnership to act against the ticking "doomsday clock" of climate change in a major speech to the European Parliament in Brussels today.
His Royal Highness delivered his speech to 150 British MEPs and representatives from the European Parliament's climate change and environment committees, as well as representatives of his own charities, and called for a "tripartite alliance" between public, private and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to tackle the crisis.
The Prince said: "For me, the crux of the problem is - and I only pray I will be proved wrong – that the doomsday clock of climate change is ticking ever faster towards midnight.
"We are simply not reacting quickly enough. We cannot be anything less than courageous and revolutionary in our approach to tackling climate change.
"If we are not, the result will be catastrophe for all of us, but with the poorest in our world hit hardest of all."
The Prince focused on the plight of the rainforests during his speech, describing them as "global utilities" that provide "essential public services to humanity on a vast scale".
His Royal Highness said: "Unbelievable as it might seem, we are destroying our planet's air-conditioning system. But the loss of biodiversity is also terrifying.
"It has been compared to burning down a library of precious knowledge without first reading the books."
The Prince added that the private sector needed to be involved in the solution for saving the rainforests.
To this end, The Prince has set up The Prince's Rainforests Project, which aims to work with the private sector, governments and environmental experts to find solutions to ensure the survival of the world’s rainforests, which are essential to combating climate change.
Speaking about his project, The Prince said: "What I am hoping we can do is to find a way to energise the capital markets to develop instruments, whether market based or not, to transfer to those countries that actually want to do something about this problem, in the most effective way, the huge sums which are needed."
The Prince also told the audience that the north polar ice cap is melting so fast scientists predict that in seven years it will completely disappear.
The Prince said to the packed chamber: "Determined and principled leadership has never been more needed. Surely this is just the moment in history for which the European Union was created."
"Climate change presents such a threat that, uniquely in history, it will surely require the effort of every nation and every person to find and implement a solution before it is too late.
"It is a task that calls for the biggest public, private and NGO partnership ever seen."
The Prince gave his speech at the end of a two-day visit to Brussels to highlight the issue of climate change and hold talks with EC president Jose Manuel Barroso and a number of EC Commissioners.
Representatives from a number of The Prince's Charities also attended, including The Prince's Trust, The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment, The Prince's Rainforests Project, Prime Cymru and the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (CLGCC).
European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering praised The Prince for his leadership and said: "Your commitment to meet the challenges of climate change is an encouragement for our work in the European Parliament.
"And now it's our responsibility to do our utmost to achieve the goals, by European and international law and agreements, ready to fight climate change."
Click here to read the speech.
Click here to read the press release.
Click here to find out more about The Prince’s Rainforests Project.