Charles: We must forge new relationship with nature
THE Prince of Wales has warned that mankind faces further pandemics if it doesn’t drastically ‘rebalance’ its relationship with the natural world.
In a keynote address organised by the World Economic Forum yesterday, Prince Charles highlighted recent global health emergencies such as SARS, bird flu, swine flu and Ebola.
He warned that half of the pathogens – disease causing micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses – that affect humans come from animals.
‘Changing the relationship between wild, domestic and human animals makes pandemics more likely, which is why we need to restore balance with the natural world through decisive action on climate change and restoring biodiversity,’ he said.
The prince’s bold statement came as he launched The Great Reset, a campaign designed to spark a green industrial revolution in the wake of the destruction wreaked on the global economy by coronavirus.
It was, he said, a ‘golden opportunity’ to fundamentally change the way we live, work and trade.
Led by his Sustainable Markets Initiative in conjunction with the WEF, it is designed to encourage businesses to put environmentally-friendly practices at the heart of their operations as they begin to recover. Charles said, via a video link from Birkhall on Royal Deeside: ‘These are unprecedented times. Every person on the planet has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
‘Our world came to a standstill and it became clear that we did not have the answers or the mechanisms to address such an unprecedented global threat.
‘As we move from rescue to recovery, therefore, we have a unique, but rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to learn lessons and reset ourselves on a more sustainable path.
‘It is an opportunity we have never had before and may never have again. Each and every one of us has a vital role to play.’
Charles warned that the devastation wreaked by coronavirus was nothing compared to the continuing threat to the planet from climate change. He continued: ‘If we look at the planet as if it were a patient, we can see that our activities have been damaging her immune system.
‘To treat her we need to restore balance and put Nature back at the centre of the circle.’
Charles said a start would be persuading mankind of the urgent need for change. ‘To create momentum for The Great Reset, we need to capture the imagination and will of humanity,’ he said.
Other aspects of his plan include encouraging sustainable employment, economic growth and carbon-pricing, and investing in science, technology and innovation.
The prince is also calling for a ‘rebalancing’ of investment, diverting funds to green energy, eco tourism, natural regeneration and a green public infrastructure.
He said: ‘The 75 years after the Second World War saw unprecedented growth, rising longevity and poverty reductions. But all this put an overwhelming strain on our environment. The good news is that we have many of the solutions to hand.
‘Renewable energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels. Our agriculture and land use can be more resilient, healthy and productive.’
In an interview with Sky News which will be broadcast today to coincide with the launch of the Great Reset, Charles also spoke of how ‘lucky’ he was to have escaped with such a relatively mild case of coronavirus, adding: ‘I can’t tell you how much I sympathise with the way that everyone has had to endure with this unbelievably testing time.’
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‘Capture the imagination’