he Prince of Wales urged G7 leaders to show the same sense of urgency in tackling climate change as they have shown in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
During a reception with executives such as Boris Johnson and Joe Biden, Charles said the Covid-19 pandemic had shown what a “truly borderless crisis” looked like.
“Of course, we haven’t fully seen Covid coming,†he said.
“Yet climate change and biodiversity loss represent a crisis without borders, the solutions of which have been debated and postponed for far too long. “
He said the battle against the pandemic has provided “a clear example of the scale and speed at which the global community can cope with crises when we combine political will, corporate ingenuity and public mobilization.”
Speaking to G7 leaders and a group of business leaders, the prince said: “We are doing this for the pandemic. So if you don’t mind me saying this, we have to do it for the planet as well.
The prince has formed a group of more than 300 global business leaders to form a “coalition of the willing” in his initiative for sustainable markets.
He said there were three “powerful messages†from the business world: “First, industry and finance need clear market signals, standards and regulations in order to provide the essential conditions for them to operate. more quickly reorient their operations and make the transition.
“Second, international financial institutions need better ways to mobilize public finance, catalyze private finance and mitigate risk.
“And third, a transformative outcome will require a pipeline of fully developed and truly sustainable projects, at a sufficient scale and ready to invest.”
The prince’s speech came as three generations of the royal family mingled with G7 leaders during Project Eden.
The Queen, Duchess of Cornwall and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also attended events as part of the summit.
