Charles warns of 'dangerously narrow window' to act on climate crisis
'Climate change and biodiversity loss are clear global challenges of paramount importance'
The Prince of Wales has warned there is a "dangerously narrow" window of opportunity in which to tackle the climate crisis.
Addressing the Saudi Green Initiative Forum, Charles said that "after far too long" the issue is finally "of paramount importance to the world".
His address comes after it was revealed the Queen had spent a night in hospital earlier this week, after she was forced to cancel her trip to Northern Ireland.
The 95-year-old Head of State went to hospital for "preliminary investigations" on Wednesday night but returned to Windsor on Thursday, said a Palace spokesperson.
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The royal was speaking ahead of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow next week.
In a pre-recorded message, the heir to the throne said: "Cop26 is said to be the largest gathering of international leaders ever hosted by the United Kingdom.
"This reflects the fact that, at last, and after far too long, climate change and biodiversity loss are clear global challenges of paramount importance to the world.
"At the same time, the ongoing pandemic has highlighted that human health, planetary health and economic health are fundamentally interconnected.
"We now have a dangerously narrow window of opportunity in which to accelerate a green recovery, while laying the foundations for a sustainable future."
The COP27 climate conference - what you need to know
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
What is COP27? When and where will it be?
Each year, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meets at what is called the Conference of the Parties (abbreviated as COP) to discuss the world's progress on climate change and how to tackle it.
COP27 is the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit which will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18.
Who is going?
Who is going?
Leaders of the 197 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty that came into force in 1994 - are invited to the summit.
These are some of the world leaders that will be attending COP27:
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is attending the conference, after initially saying he wouldn't as he was too busy focusing on the economy within his first weeks in office.
US President Joe Biden and his experienced climate envoy, John Kerry, will appear at the talks.
France President Emmanuel Macron will also be among the heads of state from around the world staying in Egypt.
King Charles III will not be attending COP27, despite being a staunch advocate for the environment. The decision was made jointly by Buckingham Palace and former prime minister Liz Truss.
Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will not attend the talks just as they decided to do for COP26.
What is it hoping to achieve?
What is it hoping to achieve?
1. Ensure full implementation of the Paris Agreement and putting negotiations into concrete actions - included within this is the target of limiting global warming to well below 2C.
2. Cementing progress on the critical workstreams of mitigation, adaptation, finance and loss and damage, while stepping up finance notably to tackle the impacts of climate change.
3. Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the UN Climate Change process.
October has seen the Royals speak out time and again on the issue of climate change.
The Queen was heard calling world leaders’ inaction on tackling the climate crisis "irritating" in remarks following her address to the Welsh Parliament earlier in the month.
Video and audio taken of the monarch talking to the Duchess of Cornwall and the Senedd's presiding officer Elin Jones, and transcribed by journalists present, show the three discussing COP26.
The audio appears to suggest the Queen saying: “Extraordinary isn’t it...I’ve been hearing all about COP...still don’t know who is coming...no idea”.
Meanwhile the Duke of Cambridge announced the first winners of his Earthshot prize.
The nation of Costa Rica and a pair of coral growers were among the winners at the inaugural awards ceremony earlier in the month.
William also spoke out on space tourism last week - calling on the focus of the "world's greatest brains" to be on "trying to repair this planet" rather than blasting off into space.
He was speaking in an interview that aired the day after Star Trek’s William Shatner made history by becoming the oldest person in space.