Prince Charles: ecowarrior? Photocredit: University Hospitals Birmingham http://www.flickr.com/photos/uhbofficial/5536914572/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Swampy the Ecowarrior, move over! Your position as eco-prince has been snatched by a real prince: His Royal Highness Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales has been appointed UK President of the World Wide Fund for Nature. It’s a position previously held by his father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and by his cousin, Princess Alexandra. In his speech, Prince Charles (who is the heir to the throne) warned of the imminent destruction – indeed, extinction – of mankind, should we continue to ignore the perils of climate change, signalling our shrinking fish stocks, the problems of deforestation and the extinction of species.
He called for environmentalists to “stand up and be counted,” warning that mankind could go the way of the dinosaurs (who became extinct some 65 million years ago.) He has promised to be an active president, saying that there was an urgent need to sustain the earth’s legacy for future generations. The Guardian took it as an “impassioned plea for humanity to safeguard the natural world.” The Smartpower website also reported that The Queen will be installing hydroelectric turbines in the River Thames to help power Windsor Castle.
Read HRH’s speech here
‘We are, of course, witnessing what some people call the sixth great extinction event – the continued erosion of much of the Earth’s vital biodiversity caused by a whole host of pressures, from the rising demand for land to the corrosive effects of all kinds of pollution.’ HRH The Prince of Wales, quoted in The Daily Mail.
- Good on ya, Charlie! Richard Henley Davis on The Economic Voice said that we’ve heard a lot of this before, but it’s incredibly pertinent, especially in light of the economic crisis. The answer is “localised self sufficiency,” as well as a properly administered Land Value Tax. “Good on The Prince of Wales,” he concluded, “for using his position to highlight the problems we face as a species.”
“Give me an ‘effin break: PRINCE Charles, House of Saxe-Coburg-Goethe, warns that humans will become extinct unless we transform our lifestyles to consume less. This from a man with multiple PALACES,” said Publius on Biggovernment.com
- Whatever he does, someone won’t like it. Some commentators on The Daily Mail thought the Prince to be a breath of fresh air whilst John Marshall sniped “Prince Charles seems to completely miss the point.” Mike from Thailand agreed: “We are an endangered species, if we were all like him, we would deserve to be.” MCayson, commenting on The Sun, said “I like the man, but he does come out with some rubbish on occasion,” whilst david37 on The Daily Telegraph said “Apart from being the son of his mother, just what qualifications does this clod have to lecture the rest of us?” Qrious on the same site however leapt to his defence: “However, I still find him rather funny and he still can make a contribution to our society in the form of rare speech – as he did on this occasion. Long live Charlie!”
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