Youth crying out for action on climate, says Charles
Prince uses final speech on Caribbean tour to warn of ‘appalling crisis’ faced by younger generations
YOUNG people have had enough of empty words on the environment and are “crying out for concerted action”, the Prince of Wales has said, as he accepts the “fundamental responsibility” of his generation to help them.
The Prince, who spoke on his final day of a Caribbean tour, said his children, grandchildren and their peers deserved action to help them out of an “appalling crisis” caused by “potentially catastrophic global warming”.
In a speech delivered in the Cayman Islands in praise of measures taken there to protect marine life, the Prince acknowledged the newly engaged Commonwealth youth who are putting pressure on their elders for change.
Young people in Britain and further afield have recently been engaging in a series of climate change strikes.
The Prince, who has long championed teenagers and young adults through schemes including his Prince’s Trust, did not refer directly to the strikes but is understood to have been encouraged by seeing a new generation speaking out on key issues.
“For years, I have tried to warn of this impending crisis and of our fundamental responsibility for our children’s and grandchildren’s inheritance,” he said.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, those very children are crying out for concerted action rather than just empty words.”
A spokesman said the Prince was “encouraged that young people are speaking out on important topics like climate change”, adding: “It’s an issue that’s been very close to his heart for many decades.”
The Prince’s tour to the Caribbean and Cuba, with the Duchess of Cornwall, has focused heavily on environmental issues, in particular concerns about polluted oceans and the increasing threat of disasters such as hurricanes in the region.
The Prince praised steps taken in the Commonwealth countries to protect marine life and coral reefs, saying it could lead to the Cayman Islands becoming “a shining example of best practice in integrated, and genuinely sustainable management of its landbased and ocean resources”.
“Such an integrated approach is not only essential to protect our ecosystems, but also – particularly in the Cayman Islands’ case – to protect the long-term viability of economic sectors, such as tourism, on which they are utterly dependent.
“Such an innovative and far-sighted approach could become a beacon for the Commonwealth to help lead the world – and, indeed, the whole of nature – out of this appalling crisis of our own making.”
‘For years, I have warned of this impending crisis and of our responsibility for our children’s inheritance ’
The Prince and Duchess yesterday flew back to Britain after a final engagement at Pedro St James, an 18th century Caribbean great house.
The Prince was photographed stroking one of the Cayman Islands’ famous blue iguanas, asking “is he dangerous?” before taking the plunge.
The 15-year-old reptile, called Peter, placidly chewed on what appeared to be a piece of papaya as the Prince looked delighted.
Blue iguanas are only found on the island of Grand Cayman and once numbered in the tens of thousands, but the population was devastated by people, their pets and rats.
By 2001, fewer than 25 were estimated to remain in the wild, but under the programme, their numbers are now in the hundreds.