Prince Charles seemed genuinely stunned when he was told of a recent move by the Aussie Prime Minister. He responded with a warning. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Charles seemed genuinely stunned when he was told of a recent move by the Aussie Prime Minister. He responded with a warning. Photo / Getty Images
Prince Charles has warned the world leaders – including Scott Morrison – that the Glasgow COP2G summit is a "last chance saloon" for climate change action expressing surprise that the Australian Prime Minister may not even turn up.
Speaking in the gardens of his house on the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Prince Charles has told the BBC that the world is facing a "disaster" and a "catastrophe".
Charles appeared genuinely taken aback at reports that the Australian Prime Minister might be a no-show at the Glasgow climate change conference.
"Scott Morrison, the Australian PM, isn't even certain that he could make it to the meeting in Glasgow," the BBC interviewer says during the interview.
"I, is that what he says does he? Mmm," Charles responds. He then goes on to explain why he's fought so hard to encourage world leaders to attend.
The pair had previously met at various summits. Photo / Getty Images
"The point being that this is a last chance saloon. If we don't really take the decisions that are vital now, it's going to be almost impossible to catch up.
"It will be a disaster. I mean it will be catastrophic. It is already beginning to be catastrophic because nothing in nature can survive the stress that is created by these extremes of weather."
Probed on Australia's failure to take stronger action on climate change, he was also asked in the internationally televised interview his thoughts on reports that the Prime Minister may skip the conference and remain at home in Australia.
"Australia for example, what would you say to a government like the government of Australia, that seems reluctant to take on board the need to take really serious action on this issue," Charles was asked.
"You gently try to suggest that maybe there are other ways of doing things, otherwise in my case, you lot will accuse me of interfering," Charles laughed.
Prince Charles is a keen environmentalist. Photo / Getty Images
During the interview, the heir to the British throne reveals he is so committed to climate change that he has converted his Aston Martin to run on "surplus English white wine and whey from the cheese process".
He also reveals he doesn't eat fish or meat on two days a week.
And he admits that he shares the concerns of Greta Thunberg that world leaders "just talk" about climate change and don't take any action.
"They just talk," Charles told BBC TV. "And the problem is to get action on the ground."
Last month, Thunberg accused world leaders of "30 years of blah, blah, blah".
"All these young people feeling nothing is ever happening, so of course they're going to get frustrated. But it isn't helpful, I don't think, to do it in a way that alienates people," Charles said.
"So I totally understand the frustration, the difficulty is how do you direct that frustration in a way that is more constructive rather than destructive. The point is that people should really notice how despairing so many young people are."
Charles will be joined by the Queen and Prince William for events at the COP26 summit.
