Prince of Wales hits out at 'climate change deniers'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...n-brigade.html
Prince of Wales hits out at climate change deniers... labelling them the 'headless chicken brigade'
- Prince Charles spoke out over 'sheer intimidation' of anti-climate change groups
- Said they turn scientific wisdom on its head to suit their own purposes
- Was speaking at an event for young entrepreneurs at Buckingham Palace
Quote:
Originally Posted by Daily Mail
The Prince of Wales has hit out at climate change deniers, labelling them the ‘headless chicken brigade’.
In a deliberately inflammatory speech, Prince, Charles, who has campaigned for years to reduce global warming, also spoke out against ‘the barrage of sheer intimidation’ from what he described as ‘powerful’ anti-climate change groups
The heir to the throne was speaking at an event for young entrepreneurs at Buckingham Palace, with a specially invited audience of sustainability experts, business leaders and policy makers.
But he used to event to accuse climate change sceptics of turning accepted scientific wisdom on its head simply to suit their own purposes.
‘It is baffling, I must say, that in our modern world we have such blind trust in science and technology that we all accept what science tells us about everything - until, that is, it comes to climate science,’ he said.
‘All of a sudden, and with a barrage of sheer intimidation, we are told by powerful groups of deniers that the scientists are wrong and we must abandon all our faith in so much overwhelming scientific evidence.
‘So, thank goodness for our young entrepreneurs here this evening, who have the far-sightedness and confidence in what they know is happening to ignore the headless chicken brigade and do something practical to help.’
Prince Charles, who was announcing the winner of the Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize, designed to inspire young people around the world to tackle environmental, social and health issues, also accused the ‘deniers’ of turning a blind eye to the way in which the world was being pushed to ‘destruction’ in order to protect their own ‘vested interests’.
He told the guests: ‘As you may possibly have noticed from time to time, I have tended to make a habit of sticking my head above the parapet and generally getting it shot off for pointing out what has always been blindingly obvious to me.
‘Perhaps it has been too uncomfortable for those with vested interests to acknowledge, but we have spent the best part of the past century enthusiastically testing the world to utter destruction; not looking closely enough at the long-term impact our actions will have.’
Charles has long led the public charge against global warming - despite repeated warnings about his ‘meddling’ in contentious global issues - but his ‘headless chickens’ jibe is among his strongest comments in recent years.
Benny Peiser, director of the climate-sceptic Global Warming Policy Foundation, last night described the prince’s attack as ‘aggressive and contentious’.
‘This is not unusual or surprising as he has made these claims many times over the years. But the irony is that in doing so he, Charles, is the mirror image of the very climate change deniers he attacks, ‘ he said.
‘It is not about being a climate change denier, as he says. It’s just that people are becoming more sceptical about the extent of climate change.
‘He talks about vested interests but he should be very careful his words don’t backfire on him. The Crown Estate, for example, is making huge profits from the very off shore wind-farms that have angered so many of his future subjects.
‘And for many people the issue of rising energy bills now is more important than what may or may not happen 100 years down the line.
‘I fear he is ill-advised to make such aggressive and contentious speeches. One of the reasons that the Queen and the Royal Family are so loved is that they steers clear of such issues.
‘His aggressive words indicate a certain insecurity and intransigence that will not go down well with the British public.’
Last autumn UN scientists said they were ‘95 per cent’ certain that climate change is man-made - but could still not explain why the world has barely got hotter in the last 15 years.
A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) found that global warming was in ‘hiatus’, rising by just 0.05C per decade since 1998, down from 0.12C.
But it also concluded that sea levels were rising and the concentration of greenhouse gasses have increased to unprecedented levels unseen for some 800,000 years.
Assuming everything is as it's reported, then as much as I like Prince Charles and regret criticising the Royal Family, I have to ask the question: Did he think up this speech as he flew on his royal helicopter and drove in his gas-guzzling car?
If he wishes to use such language by associating his opponents like me in the environmental debate as 'deniers' (similar to Holocaust deniers) then that's all very well .. but he's going to have to expect it back along with more personal scrutiny of how a man who flies around the world and this country can complain about global warming, oh I meant climate change. If you ask me, he should stick to what he does best which is town planning, architecture & agriculture.
For the record, as a supporter of constitutional monarchy I think he should be allowed to speak out to a degree. I am in no way suggesting that he should keep silent, just that he's going to have to expect to have it thrown back at him by those he's criticising. It's his throw of the dice.
Thoughts?
