Prince Charles will be making a keynote speech Climate Conference in Copenhagen

HRH The Prince of Wales will be making a keynote speech on December 15th 2009 at the opening ceremony of the High Level part of the UNFCCC Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

This is the first day of the second week of the conference, when the Heads of State and Ministers participate. This invitation reflects the impact of the pioneering work carried out by The Prince of Wales in the environmental arena over the last thirty five years, of which The Prince's Rainforests Project has been the most recent example.

The Prince will use this opportunity to highlight that the future of mankind can only be assured if a consensus is forged on how to integrate economic development with a real understanding of the ecological carrying capacity of the planet. This is the fundamental requirement of any solution to climate change and must be built on a public, private and NGO sector partnership. HRH will stress the urgent need to find a way to live as part of, rather then apart from, Nature.

A transcript of the speech will be available on The Prince's Rainforests Project website later that day.
Chief Raoni Txucarramae of the Kayapo people in northern Brazil met The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall on their visit to the Amazon rainforst in March 2009.

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Queen Elizabeth: "Many of the people least well able to withstand the adverse effects of Climate Change live in the Commonwealth"

The Queen's speech at the opening of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), in Port of Spain, 27th November 2009

This diamond anniversary year is an important time for the Commonwealth to look back – and, more importantly, look forward. In doing so, I believe we can be pleased with how far the Commonwealth has come in its 60 years, and yet how true it has remained to its origins. But this does not mean we should become complacent or rest on past successes. Like any good organization we must continue to pay close attention to the things that give it distinctive character.

In my view one of the core strengths of the Commonwealth lies in the commitment to common goals and values. Our shared pledge to “the pursuit of peace, liberty and progress” that my father helped to enshrine in the London Declaration in 1949 means as much today as it did then. We cherish freedom, democracy and development as dearly as ever.

But the Commonwealth’s strength lies as much in people as it does in values. Few other global organizations can boast the same rich diversity of humankind and yet also such a commonality of spirit.

The Commonwealth can be proud of the fact that in each of its six decades, it has shaped the international response to emerging global challenges.

And on this, the eve of the UN Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change, the Commonwealth has an opportunity to lead once more. The threat to our environment is not a new concern. But it is now a global challenge which will continue to affect the security and stability of millions for years to come. Many of those affected are among the most vulnerable, and many of the people least well able to withstand the adverse effects of Climate Change live in the Commonwealth.

A second area of opportunity for the Commonwealth is nurturing its young people. As with environmental challenges, this area is not new; but while the Commonwealth may rightly celebrate reaching its 60th anniversary, the future of this association lies with the one billion who are under 25 years of age. The Commonwealth must show that it is relevant to and supportive of our young people who need to be convinced that the Commonwealth can help them to realize their ambitions.

For small island states, the buffeting of the economic storms of the last twelve months has provided a stern test; and great resourcefulness has been shown in order to meet the challenge. As an organization the Commonwealth must remain dedicated to building resilience among its smaller members.

But it is not enough to look within the boundaries of the Commonwealth. In a world where political, economic and environmental problems and opportunities cross continents, the Commonwealth will also need to prove its relevance beyond its own borders and develop a truly global perspective.

The motto of Trinidad and Tobago says: ‘Together we aspire, together we achieve’. There could be no better description of the Commonwealth’s ethos and no better guideline for achieving this CHOGM’s stated goal of a more equitable and sustainable future.

I hope the leaders here present – informed by the Commonwealth Youth Forum, the People’s Forum and the Business Forum held earlier this week – can map out the route for another sixty years of success.

And with these challenges in mind I am delighted to declare open this twentieth meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

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Not for Australian eyes and ears

Later this April Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit Rome and Venice before flying on to Berlin. Both visits will focus on the Prince of Wales passion: The sharpening the awareness for the dangers of climate change. While he will discuss the matter with the Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung (Potsdam Institute for Research of Climatic Effects) his audience in Rome will be a complete different one: He will give a speech to the lower house of the Italian Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, on the urgent need to address climate change, one of the issues he has warned must not be forgotten in the current pre-occupation with economic recession.

When will he address the Australian Parliament?
Or to put the question differently: When will those whose say they are concerned about the effects of climate change ask the Prince of Wales to assist them in their effort to convince the Australian public that more should be done?. Why not let Prince Charles talk to those sceptics who try to block measures being taken? Especially those sitting in Parliament?

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We have only “100 months to act” to alter our behaviour

The Prince of Wales today [12th March] warned the world risked bequeathing future generations a “poisoned chalice” if climate change wasn’t tackled.

In a speech to business leaders in Brazil, The Prince highlighted how we had only “100 months to act” to alter our behaviour or risk “catastrophic” environmental damage to the world.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall have travelled to South America to focus on the UK Government’s climate change priorities, and The Prince’s speech in Rio de Janeiro follows on from one he made in Chile on environmental issues.

Addressing the Brazilian business leaders at the Itamaraty Palace, The Prince said that global greenhouse emissions were still rising inexorably despite the evidence of the damage they were causing to the planet - disappearing glaciers, melting icecaps and more extreme weather.

The Prince described this failure to adequately tackle the causes of the problem as "gambling away our future".

But he added the global economic downturn offered the world an opportunity as it told us that sustainable development would be the primary driver of economic prosperity in the future.

Speaking in Rio de Janeiro ahead of a visit to the heart of Brazil's Amazon rainforest, The Prince echoed a speech he made in Brazil in 1991, warning that economic difficulties should not stop the world tackling environmental problems.

He told the invited guests: "... any difficulties which the world faces today will be as nothing compared to the full effects which global warming will have on the worldwide economy.

"It will result in vast movements of people escaping either flooding or drought; uncertain production of food and lack of water and, of course, increasing social instability and potential conflict."

He added: "If we once more redouble our efforts to unite the world in meeting perhaps its greatest and most crucial challenge, then we may yet be able to prevail. And thereby to avoid bequeathing a poisoned chalice to our children and grandchildren we only have 100 months to act."

The Prince’s concern for the vital eco-systems led him to set up an initiative in October 2007 to help stop their destruction. The Prince's Rainforest Project is working to make the natural resources "worth more alive than dead" in countries where producers are clearing the land to meet a demand for goods like beef, palm oil, and logs.

During the speech His Royal Highness also described a proposal his Project is developing to launch a bond which would be bought by investors and underwritten by developed countries with the proceeds going to rainforest nations to help them develop their economies without destroying the forests.

Their Royal Highnesses’ overseas tour in March to Chile, Brazil and Ecuador, has a focus on climate change priorities. The Prince’s Deputy Private Secretary, Clive Alderton, outlined the purpose of the trip, which is being carried out at the request of the British Government, to media at briefing at Clarence House.

Mr Alderton explained: “As the Government put it to me, we’re fortunate to have, in The Prince of Wales, someone with 40 years of work and experience on environmental issues who can help lead the charge for Britain in the battle in countries which sit on the front line of climate change.” Because of The Prince’s environmental expertise, many of the engagements during the tour have been structured specifically to support the United Kingdom’s strategic priorities on climate change, he said.

The media briefing was told that Ecuador was also central to the battle against climate change. Mr Alderton said: “Their Royal Highnesses’ visit is timed to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Darwin, the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book “On the Origin of Species” and the 50th anniversary of the Galapagos National Park. Galapagos is, of course, an immensely fragile biosphere but one that depends on revenue from visitors. The key here is for visitors to follow strict rules, including for example the decontamination of aircraft on the way into Galapagos. The Royal plane will be decontaminated just like any other aircraft. Their Royal Highnesses have been invited to the Galapagos to draw attention to the research work which is going on; research which is shared with the international community to broaden international understanding of biodiversity and climate change issues.”

As for the question of how much the tour would cost the public purse, Mr Alderton explained that, as with the visit to the Far East in Autumn 2008, Clarence House had taken advice from the Government on whether it should go ahead in the current economic climate. He said the Government had confirmed that they did want the tour to proceed given the importance of the strategic priorities that the visit would address and the bilateral diplomatic relationships it would strengthen.

What a pity the Australian government - and other people saying they were concerned about the effects of climate change - put their republican convictions ahead of the urgent need to take action of climate change. Australia trails behind world best practice and particularly Europe. What would Prince Charles tell the Australians?

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