Some writers have referred to King Charles III who was crowned as King of England on 6 May, 2023 as Climate King because of his reported love for nature.
At 21 years old in 1969, he wrote Prime Minister Harold Wilson, drawing his attention that salmon fish is disappearing in Scottish waters.
At 21 in 1970, he gave a televised interview warning of the dangers of plastic pollution.
He turned his Highgrove, Gloucestershire estate into an organic haven in 1980s and installed solar panels in his Clarence House.
The then Prince Charles loved and planted flowers and allowed red squirrels to roam in his country house. The prince said he loves the flowers so much and talks to them
He attended major environmental protection meetings all over the world. In COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021 he urged world leaders to unite against the threat of global warming.
He listed his eco-friendly activities to include refitting his Aston Martin to run on leftover wine and cheese.
In the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he met the 17-year-old activist, Greta Thunberg, and also spoke on the need to protect the environment.
Prince Charles was however, criticised for not liking wind power, which is a renewable energy source, in his Duchy of Cornwall which spans over 200 square miles, saying wind turbines will be a “horrendous blot on the landscape.”
In one of his books published in 2010, Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World, he continued his environmental protection campaign.
In the 336-page book, he also made a case for world population control.
Many observers fail to see a correlation between high population and environmental activism. For instance, Nigeria that he mentioned as having a very high population growth rate has a per capita emission of 0.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per annum. In the US, it is 13.7 metric tons per person per year.
The royal family is also criticised for being a high consumer and contributor to the depletion of the earth’s resources.
It is doubtful whether King Charles III will have enough time and energy now to lead environmental activism but, royal watchers say his son, Prince William, has been prepared to continue the work.
