The Prince of Wales will address the G20 Summit in Rome on Sunday, telling the government delegates in attendance that, when it comes to recognising the hardships caused by climate change, “I am at last sensing a change in attitudes and the build-up of positive momentum.”
Prince Charles was invited to speak at the G20 Summit, an annual gathering of the leaders of 20 countries, by Italian Prime Minister Draghi. Clarence House noted that Prince Charles’s invitation came “in recognition of His Royal Highness’ many decades of work highlighting the growing environmental crisis as a result of climate change.”
In his speech, Prince Charles is expected to praise the work of the younger generation in forcing governments to focus on the environment and climate change.
He is expected to say: “It is impossible not to hear the despairing voices of young people who see you [the leaders of the G20] as the stewards of the planet, holding the viability of their future in your hands,” and impress upon the politicians that they have an “overwhelming responsibility to generations yet unborn.”
Prince Charles will be accompanied to the G20 Summit by Brunello Cucinelli, an Italian CEO, and Brian Moynihan, the Co-Chair of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, and will speak of the SMI and how its group of more than 300 CEOs will help to “unlock the commitment and potential of business to deliver solutions for the global climate crisis,” per Clarence House.
Prince Charles is expected to say: “Some 300 of the world’s top C.E.O.’s from every sector of the economy, including financial services, joined my Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) and demonstrated how acutely sensitive they are to the way both consumers, who control more than sixty per cent of global G.D.P., and shareholders are now demanding changes in the way businesses behave.”
After addressing the G20 Summit, Prince Charles will attend the launch of a sustainable fashion initiative called The SMI Fashion Coalition’s Digital ID, which will provide a digital certificate noting all aspects of the clothing item’s creation and manufacturing so that customers can make informed decisions about their fashion buying.
Prince Charles released a statement ahead of the Digitial ID’s launch saying: “People have the right to know if what they buy is created sustainably and there is a responsibility to tell them this, because we truly believe in the shared principles of transparency, accountability and enforcement.
“Fashion is one of the most polluting sectors in the world, but this new Digital ID shows how business is committed to meaningful, measurable change: providing customers with the information they need to make cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable choices. It shows that business doesn’t just talk about these issues, but has taken action.”
Prince Charles is in Rome over the weekend—he arrived late on Saturday and will attend an official dinner before undertaking engagements on Sunday.
