King Charles will not go to COP27, but he wants to show that he has no intention of abandoning the environmental cause. The sovereign organized this Friday a reception at Buckingham Palace on environmental issues.
He brought together business leaders, political representatives, such as US climate envoy John Kerry, and public figures such as designer Stella McCartney at his official residence in London.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also present, and assured that the United Kingdom, host of the last UN climate conference, will maintain “global leadership” on environmental issues.
Tribute to the king’s commitment to the environment
A year after hosting COP26 in Glasgow, the UK is passing the torch to Egypt, where COP27 opens on Sunday, after questioning its environmental ambitions. Rishi Sunak had not planned to attend the conference, but he changed his mind in the face of criticism, and the king, a longtime conservationist, will be absent on government advice.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to Charles’s long-standing commitment to the environment, “for more than 50 years, even before COP1”.
After the reception, the King planted a lime tree in the garden of Buckingham Palace, indicated the royal family, as part of a national initiative to plant trees.
“Time is up”
Charles III, then still a prince, gave a speech at the opening ceremony of COP26 in Glasgow:
“Time is up” and “we urgently need to cut emissions and take action to address the carbon that is already in the atmosphere,” he said.
He had urged world leaders to “find practical ways to bridge differences so that we can all work, together, to save this precious planet and save the threatened future of our young people.”
Source: BFM TV
