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Prince Charles, Richard Branson compare climate crisis to war

Posted at 4:40 PM on 14 Feb 2008

Prince Charles warned in a speech on Thursday that if a "courageous and revolutionary" approach to tackling climate change is not undertaken, "the result will be catastrophe for all of us but with the poorest in our world hit hardest of all. In this sense it is surely comparable to war." Also this week, Virgin Group big gun Richard Branson suggested at a United Nations conference that an "environmental war room" be set up to combine "entrepreneurial muscle, the best possible data, and the power to mobilize resources and influence policy." OK, so we're at war with the climate; the question is, who's winning?

sources: The Guardian, The Press Association

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Comments: (7 comments)

You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five.

Great News!!!

I'm glad they've seen the light!

Prince Charles:

Disperse all the wealth of the Crown to the People Worldwide so they can buy new energy efficient Prius hybrids.

Richard Branson:

Cease your airline activities and reduce CO2. It's for the best!

Viva La Revolution!

by jabailo at 8:45 PM on 14 Feb 2008

Misguided advice

Many "People worldwide" do not even have roads. They don't all need Prius hybrids.

If Branson ceases his airline activities, passengers will buy their tickets from other airlines that will NOT offer 25 million dollar prize for CO2 cure.

Jabailo. Why are you dissing the good folks who are at least trying to help?

by Boyscientist at 9:42 PM on 14 Feb 2008

Phony Baloney

Stuff like this is ridiculous. Climate change will only be stopped, to the extent that it can be, by greatly reducing or eliminating driving, use of energy, and population. All else is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, so to speak. I realize people of the privileged class, which includes most Americans, Canadians, Australians, and western Europeans, don't want to give up their opulent lifestyles, but it's either that or we continue destroying the planet. Only 8% of the people in the world have cars, so get a grip!

by Wolverine at 10:41 PM on 14 Feb 2008

sugar-based ethanol

While he was here in NYC, Branson stopped off to talk with Charlie Rose, and said that if he were in charge of the US government, he would drop the tariff on imported sugar, and order that sugar-based ethanol be made widely available, and that cars be built that can run on it (or at least a 50/50 mix with gasoline). For starters. He also seemed to say (he was more mumbling and stuttery than usual) that Brazil is a leader in alternative fuels, especially sugar ethanol, and that the cultivation of sugar (cane?; beets?) in that country does not require environmental destruction.

In other words, what he was saying did not strike me as altogether compatible with the kind of things I read in Gristmill ...

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 10:48 AM on 15 Feb 2008

Ethanol & Biofuels

Alternative fuels will do nothing to stop human-caused global climate change. ALL burned fuels emit carbon dioxide, which is the LEAST toxic thing they could emit. Additionally, biofuels made from crops instead of waste cause more harm than petroleum, including the destruction of tropical rainforests that is now taking place in Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia, to name just the places I know about.

The biofuels-will-stop-global-warming line is a lie. Proponents claim that growing plants makes up for burning the fuels from them. The fatal flaw in their argument is that there are ALREADY plants growing where the biofuel plants will be grown. Now, if they advocated smashing up cement and growing plants there, they might have a point.

by Wolverine at 12:26 PM on 15 Feb 2008

Grist spelled backwards is Tool

Jabailo. Why are you dissing the good folks who are at least trying to help?

Why is it that when some super rich guy who farts CO2 by the giga-ton makes a pronouncement that the rest of us are supposed save our CO2 pennies but a trip to the supermarket, there is an always ready legion of apologists ready and waiting to take up their cause.

Has everyone been bought off?

by jabailo at 2:34 PM on 15 Feb 2008

Global warming

Yeah for Prince Charles. As individuals, we can drive less, buy less, recycle, and eat less (preferably no) meat. However, as nations, we MUST enact stringent legislation to reduce CO2 emissions. Sadly, the US has taken minimal action to date.

Marylou Noble

Marylou Noble

by marylounoble at 11:34 PM on 15 Feb 2008

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