Prince Charles to lead green summit in lead-up to G7 Cornwall meeting

Conference to focus on how business can champion climate fight

Prince Charles will lead a green summit next month before the G7 meeting in Cornwall. Reuters

Britain's Prince Charles will encourage businesses to do more to combat climate change when he leads a green summit next month.

The event will be held on June 8, a week before the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, in Cornwall, south-west England, where UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to push world leaders to commit to more ambitious climate goals.

The UK is also hosting the Cop26 climate summit, scheduled for Glasgow, Scotland, in November.

Prince Charles, who has previously called on business to lead the climate fight, is expected to make a speech on sustainable growth.

The speakers will include England's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and UK Environment Secretary George Eustice.

Conference organiser Dr John Henry Looney said the Cornwall summit provided an opportunity to demonstrate how the private sector could lead the way.

“As we move to recover from Covid, it is clear we need a global vision for sustainable growth. This opportunity to examine the G7 and Cop26 themes is a perfect moment for Cornwall to share our vision on a world stage,” he said.

He said speakers from as far afield as the Bahamas, Sweden and Portugal would discuss topics ranging from "targeted local action plans through to global climate strategies".

In January, Prince Charles urged the private sector to sign up to his Terra Carta, a new set of guiding principles focused on protecting the planet.
The document was described as the pinnacle of 50 years of environmental campaigning by Britain's heir to the throne.

In his foreword to the Terra Carta, he wrote: "If we consider the legacy of our generation, more than 800 years ago, Magna Carta inspired a belief in the fundamental rights and liberties of people.

"As we strive to imagine the next 800 years of human progress, the fundamental rights and value of nature must represent a step-change in our 'future of industry' and 'future of economy' approach."