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| Prince Charles: 'We can’t wait until we are absolutely sure the patient is dying.' Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA |
The Prince
of Wales has criticised "corporate lobbyists" and climate change
sceptics for turning the earth into a "dying patient", in his most
outspoken attack yet on the world's failure to tackle global warming, made
shortly before he is to take over from the Queen at the forthcoming meeting of the Commonwealth.
His
intervention was reinforced by Lord Stern of Brentford, author of the 2006
report on the economics of climate change, who called sceptics and lobbyists
"forces of darkness" who would be "driven back".
Prince Charles attacked businesses who failed to care for the environment, and
compared the current generation to a doctor taking care of a critically ill
patient.
"If
you think about the impact of climate change, [it should be how] a doctor would
deal with the problem," he told an audience of government ministers, from
the UK and abroad, as well as businesspeople and scientists. "A scientific
hypothesis is tested to absolute destruction, but medicine can't wait. If a
doctor sees a child with a fever, he can't wait for [endless] tests. He has to
act on what is there."
He added:
"The risk of delay is so enormous that we can't wait until we are
absolutely sure the patient is dying."
His words
were swiftly leapt on by climate sceptics. The Global Warming Policy Foundation,
led by Lord Lawson, which opposes what it terms costly policies to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, said the heir to the throne was "out of touch
with half the UK population".
Hosting a
two-day conference for forest scientists at St James's Palace in London, Prince
Charles – who is taking over from the Queen at this year's meeting of the
Commonwealth in Sri Lanka – savagely satirised those who stand in the way of
swift action on the climate.
He
characterised them as "the confirmed sceptics" and "the
international association of corporate lobbyists". Faced with these forces
of opposition, "science finds itself up the proverbial double blind gum
tree", he said.
Stern
picked up on his comments, saying: "I think the forces of darkness can be
driven back – the sceptics and corporate lobbyists can be driven back."
Others were
supportive of the Prince's views. Mark Barry, head of sustainable business at
Marks & Spencer, tweeted: "Prince Charles' attack on climate sceptics
is significant. As he nears throne many expect him to back off – he
isn't."
Ian
Cheshire, the chief executive of the retail group Kingfisher, said some
businesses were committed to strong action on climate change and greenhouse gas
emissions, and could see the benefits of dealing with the issues.
Supporters
of the Prince also said privately that he should be praised for taking a strong
stance on such a key issue, and was using his "convening power" to
draw attention to a crisis that is engulfing the planet and is not receiving
sufficient attention from politicians.
But Benny
Peiser, of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, said the Prince was
"happy" for consumers to pay more in their energy bills for green
policies, and accused him of using "apocalyptic language that a government
minister would not use".
He said:
"The US energy price is one third that of Europe, and European businesses
are panicking [over measures intended to cut carbon] – Europe is becoming less
and less competitive. Prince Charles has to address these concerns – there are
real costs to be paid [for cutting emissions]."
The St
James's Palace audience included Owen Paterson, the Tory secretary of state for
the environment, said by some who know him to be sceptical of the scientific
consensus on climate change, and who left climate change out of his speech and
focused on other environmental issues such as biodiversity.
Ed Davey,
the Lib Dem secretary of state for energy and climate, used his speech to the
conference to draw a deep dividing line between his own party and the increasingly
vocal section of the Tory right wing that is attacking policies that require
tougher emissions targets and more money for the low-carbon economy. He said:
"As a politician – particularly as a politician in a coalition – you
quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But there are some
issues where you have to draw the line – where you have to stand up and be
counted, and you have to do the right thing. I think climate change is firmly
in that category."
Prince Charles is no stranger to controversy, having spoken out on issues from organic
farming and alternative medicine to architecture. But his words – warmly
welcomed by the conference – were his strongest yet on climate change, an issue
he has taken a deep interest in. He founded his working group on forests, whose
conference he was addressing on Wednesday, in 2007, and also lends his name to
a group of businesses, the Corporate Leaders' Group, which supports corporate
action on cutting greenhouse emissions. He has also written to government ministers on the subject of climate change.
In his
speech, Prince Charles praised countries such as Brazil, which has taken a lead
on reducing deforestation, and Norway, which is offering billions of dollars to
developing nations to protect their forests.
The
scientists at the Prince's forum endorsed a call for much greater investment on
"big science, which supports the integration and expansion of global
tropical forest monitoring networks" and "enhanced research"
into the resilience of forests. About a billion people all over the world
depend on forests for their livelihoods, and although the rate of deforestation
has slowed in countries such as Brazil, it is accelerating over swathes of
south-east Asia and Africa.
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