Prince Charles to speak at Paris climate summit

Heir to the British throne Prince Charles will deliver a keynote speech at climate talks starting in Paris next month, his office said Thursday.

Charles, a long-time champion of environmental causes, also added his voice to calls for an agreement to limit global warming.

Speaking at a meeting in London of international environment ministers, NGOs and private firms, the 66-year-old prince said the Cop21 conference beginning on November 30 would be an "absolutely crucial milestone".

"It will not surprise you that I remain convinced as ever, if we can truly protect our forests, manage our soils and our landscapes in a far more ecological and integrated way, and at the same time undertake the large scale restoration of degraded forests and lands, then we will enormously increase our chances of obtaining a two degree world."

At least 80 world leaders including US President Barack Obama, Xi Jinping of China and Indian PM Narendra Modi will attend the conference in Paris, which aims to agree a global climate pact.

It aims to deliver an agreement on tackling climate change, with the goal of capping warming at two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

Charles first gave a speech on environmental issues in 1968 and has spoken out against climate change sceptics.

As part of his efforts to live a more sustainable lifestyle, he has installed solar panels at two of his homes and runs his Aston Martin on bioethanol made from "wine wastage and a cheese by-product," according to his office.
Source: AFP