The writer was an adviser to King Charles when the latter was Prince of Wales. He is chair of Natural England, but is writing in a personal capacity
During his time as the Prince of Wales, King Charles III became well known for his environmental work. As someone who worked with him on two books, as an adviser for many years and on many subjects, from forests to climate change and from farming to wildlife, I saw first-hand the enormous effort he put in, the intellect behind the work and his sheer determination to make a difference.
His ecological awareness originated from a deep personal disquiet he felt as a young man about the direction the world was embarking on. During the late 1960s and early 70s, the young prince began to raise through speeches and articles the profile of pollution, disappearing wildlife and depletion of natural resources. He also delved into the future of food and, as time went on, embraced global questions such as climate change. In 1985, he took direct action, converting the farm at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire to organic status.
While today all this might seem perfectly reasonable, back then, and until relatively recently, concern for the environment was regarded by many as a “fringe” pursuit. He was attacked and ridiculed. Notwithstanding the criticism, however, he persisted and his convictions continued to deepen, even if at times he was portrayed as “rather dotty” (as he himself has put it).
He set in motion a range of initiatives which grew over the years into a constellation of charitable organisations, not only concerned with the environment but also the related subjects of disadvantaged young people, responsible businesses and sustainable urbanisation. And he did this not only through his own charities, but by supporting hundreds of others — such as Wildlife Trusts, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and WWF — as their patron.
One of the things that repeatedly struck me during our work together has been the empathy for people that was integral to the prince’s brand of environmentalism. It has never been about a healthy environment in spite of people, but always about a healthy environment for the benefit of people.
Through his speeches and writing, the prince set out to build connections between particular sectors and the causes he championed. One vehicle for elevating discussion to the systemic level has been the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, which seeks to improve business leaders’ awareness of environmental challenges. This initiative, and the royal support for it, has been instrumental in helping propel environmental challenges from the barricades to the boardroom.
The Prince’s Rainforests Project, and his International Sustainability Unit that succeeded it, involved a decade of intense activity with world leaders to forge consensus on deforestation, food and water security, climate change, the circular economy, and the health of the marine environment. Meanwhile, the most recent large-scale intervention was the Sustainable Markets Initiative. Launched at the Davos summit in 2020, its mission is to help businesses move more quickly to a sustainable future. Since its inception, it has brought together world leaders and chief executives to discuss energy, nature and the circular economy.
The programme of action he has led has been relentless and lasted decades. It is, as far as I know, without precedent. His messages have long focused on the screaming need for action before it is too late to avoid ecological and climatic disaster, something that has now found widespread agreement. He has always been passionate about the power of partnership and the need for different groups across society to come together to forge solutions. He has also emphasised the ways in which the sustainability of the human world is fundamentally connected to the health of the natural one, and how if we look after the Earth, it will look after us.
No one knows how, if at all, the King will take forward this agenda in his new role, but it is clear that in the past half century of work he has made history. His son William, the new Prince of Wales, shows every intention of filling the space left by the royal transition. For anyone concerned about the future of our world, it is reassuring to know that an institution that has always taken the long view now holds ecological concerns at its very heart.
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