The Prince of Wales has written an opinion piece for the Daily Mail about the recent devastating wildfires in Greece and a call-to-action for climate change.
“Owing to family connections, I have always felt a particular fascination and affection for Greece,” he writes. “Apart from the allure of her landscapes, history and culture, both my father and grandfather were born there, which is why I was so touched to be invited earlier this year to celebrate the bicentenary of the country’s independence.
“Now, five months later, it has been heart-breaking to see the devastating fires affecting Greece, Turkey, and now Italy which has just recorded Europe’s highest ever temperature. It has been truly the stuff of nightmares to see the once blue skies above the Peloponnese, Attica and the island of Evia turn a bright orange as mile after mile of the country’s famed landscape and over 100,000 hectares of forest and farmland have been swallowed up by ferocious flames, causing the tragic loss of life, injury and the wide-spread destruction of so many peoples’ homes and livelihoods.”
Prince Charles then writes that he has “lost count of the number of weather-related disasters that have hit so many countries across the Commonwealth and beyond,” and that following the tropical storm and earthquake in Haiti coupled with the devastation in Australia over the past year, “make it very clear indeed: our planet is in crisis and, no matter where you are, no country is immune.”
With the publication of a special report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, Prince Charles writes that: “Unless we take immediate and urgent action, its scientists estimate there is an 89% chance of extreme events that used to happen once a century happening every year.
“As we approach COP26, the international climate change conference in Glasgow this November, this should surely serve as a wake-up call that climate change is happening now. We have been in the ‘last chance saloon’ for too long already, so if we do not confront the monumental challenge head on—and fast—we and the world as we know it will be done for.”
He also stresses that this cannot be achieved by individual countries dealing with their own climate emergencies; that it must be achieved by countries coming together. Prince Charles also writes that the private sector has an important role to play in the future of climate change.
“Unlocking the enormous investment potential in the private sector could accelerate the world towards a game-changing green transition – which is why, over the past eighteen months, I have spent a great deal of time trying to bring the world’s leading businesses together, sector by sector, to that end.”
He concludes: “In view of the fact that we have been busily testing our world to destruction and have left everything to the last minute, so that time is rapidly running out, they can only hope to win this epic battle if their counterparts in governments work with them to create the right conditions for an accelerated green transition.”
Prince Charles donated money to the Hellenic Red Cross to help the victims of the wildfires ravaging the country.
“We are immensely grateful for His Royal Highness’ kind donation. It means a great deal to the dedicated staff of the HRC and to the people of Greece who we are helping,” said Antonios Avgerinos, the President of the Hellenic Red Cross.
“We are working hard to assist effected people during these extremely difficult times, with the wildfires now affecting over 70,000 people. We hold a great affection towards His Royal Highness given his close family links with the country, and the HRC will continue to work tirelessly for the people of Greece who have suffered with these unprecedented wildfires.”
You can read Prince Charles’s full article at the Daily Mail website or on the Prince of Wales website here.
