It’s not many days we get to link to a newspaper commentary that ends with an attribution like "The writer is heir to the British throne" — so Out and About couldn’t resist sharing Prince Charles’ thoughts on climate issues, published today in the Financial Times.
The prince wrote about a climate recommendation that the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change prepared yesterday for the group of world leaders that are scheduled to meet next week in Bali to discuss that very issue.
And the 150 U.S., European, Chinese and Australian businesses in the CLGCC — what the prince called "an unprecedented global corporate alliance" — are making their message clear: It’s time to be proactive about addressing climate issues, because the longer we wait, the more expensive and difficult reversing climate damage will be.
The business heads feel:
- Economic growth absolutely depends on directly addressing the issue of climate change.
- Long-term plans need to be made, and highly industrialized countries need to be ready to buckle down and make changes.
- We need to stop tropical deforestation, responsible for about 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Prince Charles wasn’t just making an emotionally-based argument (although he did mention his grandchildren): He did his homework.
"The Ice and Snow Data Centre in Colorado predicts that within the next
seven to 23 years, the entire north polar ice cap will completely
disappear in summer," the prince wrote. "Why does this matter? A lack of sea ice means that
the world is no longer able to reflect as much solar heat as it used to
and so the rise in global temperatures will accelerate."
He also warned that as more emissions and natural resource damage was done, floods, droughts, rising sea-levels, spread of disease and poverty will increase.
Will the CLGCC’s recommendations have an effect on the decisionmakers next week? Prince Charles seems to think so.
"These companies are showing remarkable leadership and I can only
congratulate them," he said. "It is the fervent hope of myself and the signatories
that it will strengthen the resolve of those in Bali to make the tough
decisions."
We hope so, too.
