London, December 15: Human exploitation of the Earth’s resources has pushed it “to the brink” and the planet has reached a point of crisis that can only be resolved with global action, Prince Charles warned today.
In a speech to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, Britain’s heir to the throne – a committed environmentalist – warned world leaders they must agree a “comprehensive” deal on climate change.
“The grim reality is that our planet has reached a point of crisis,” he said, according to an advance copy of his speech released by his office.
But Charles argued that “just as mankind had the power to push the world to the brink, so too do we have the power to bring it back into balance”.
The Copenhagen talks are a “historic moment” in that effort, he argued, but only if countries can stop blaming each other for failing to act.
“In our increasingly precarious situation – on a small, unique and precious planet – this is not a problem resolvable in terms of ‘them and us’,” he said. “For when it comes to the air we breathe and the water we drink, there are no national boundaries.”
He said: “A partial solution to climate change is no solution at all. It must be inclusive and it must be a comprehensive approach.”
The prince has a particular interest in preserving the rainforests, and he said the world “should pay in some way for the essential utility services” they provide through generating rainfall and capturing carbon, among other measures.
In an article in today’s Le Monde newspaper in France, Charles said concerns about the cost of tackling climate change were a red herring.
“Climate change is not an alternative priority to economic development; it is in fact a ‘risk multiplier’, a factor that will undermine our ability to improve human wellbeing, if we don’t act now to cut emissions,” he wrote.
–Agencies