Prince Charles warns world leaders of climate change 'misery'

The consequences of the global financial crisis could pale into insignificance when compared with the human misery caused by failing to address climate change, the Prince of Wales told world leaders on Wednesday.

Last Updated: 11:34AM BST 02 Apr 2009

Prince Charles warns world leaders of climate change 'misery'
In a meeting at historic St James's Palace in London, the Prince told a number of heads of state attending tomorrow's G20 summit that more must be done to protect the rainforests as a means of slowing the rate of climate change.
Opening the meeting, the Prince said: "As important and concerning as the global financial crisis is, its challenges and consequences will pale into insignificance when compared with the scale and extent of human misery and suffering, social and economic if our actions to tackle climate change are too little or too late or both."

Among those attending were US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The heir to the throne used the opportunity provided by the G20 Summit to convene the meeting of British cabinet ministers, leaders from Europe, rainforest nations and international bodies to build a consensus of support for ideas developed by his Prince's Rainforest Project.
The Prince's organisation has developed an "emergency funding package" to provide the much needed cash to encourage rainforest nations in Asia, South America and Africa to change their practices and stop de-forestation.
One proposal is for a bond to be sold to pay for the protection of rainforest - an idea first announced by the Prince in Indonesia last November during a tour of the Far East.
The Prince explained: "Listening to the advice of scientists and other experts I like many of us around this table have come to the conclusion that the first and essential step in the battle against climate change is to help rainforest nations curb tropical rainforest destruction.
"Stopping de-forestation is the most readily achievable and cost-effective action we can take in the short-term. It is the low-hanging fruit which we must grasp as soon as possible."