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Prince then PM to visit Brussels Prince sees climate fight as war
(2 days later)
Prince Charles is due to meet senior EU figures in Brussels later and a visit by Gordon Brown will soon follow. Prince Charles has described the fight against global climate change as a war, with the Doomsday Clock "ticking ever closer to midnight".
During the prince's two-day trip, he will give a speech on climate change to the European Parliament. In a speech to the European Parliament, he called for a solution to the loss of the world's tropical forests, to make them worth more alive than dead.
The prime minister has not visited the European Commission since he took office and was criticised for arriving late to sign the Lisbon Treaty. He said the crisis required the biggest public-private partnership ever seen.
The prince praised the European Commission's recent proposals to reduce greenhouse gases by 20% by 2020.
'EU leadership'
"Determined and principled leadership has never been more needed," he said. "Surely, this is just the moment in history for which the European Union was created?"
The lives of billions of people depend on your response and none of us will be forgiven by our children and grandchildren if we falter and fail Prince Charles Prince Charles last addressed MEPs in 1992 with a speech that also dealt with the environment.
He told the parliament in Brussels on Thursday that no one could have predicted that climate change would become the leading concern of Europe's politicians and citizens.
The prince said it was time for a "genuine tripartite alliance", involving non-governmental organisations as well as the private and public sectors.
And he said it was crucial to work with pension funds and the insurance sector, to find out how they could make a difference.
Support for rainforests
But it was the issue of deforestation that the Prince of Wales devoted the main thrust of his speech.The prince has met senior members of the European Commission
He said carbon emissions from the loss of tropical forests were comparable to those caused by electricity and heating.
Capital markets, he said, should be encouraged to transfer to countries which wanted to protect their forests "the huge sums" they needed.
He suggested that the emissions trading scheme that the EU has launched for European industry could be extended, so that emissions allowances could be auctioned to support rainforests.
The prince told his audience: "The lives of billions of people depend on your response and none of us will be forgiven by our children and grandchildren if we falter and fail."
Representatives from a number of the prince's charities have travelled with him, including the Prince's Trust, the Foundation for the Built Environment, the Rainforest Project, Prime Cymru and the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (CLGCC).
Gordon Brown
Prince Charles will be followed to Brussels in the next fortnight by Gordon Brown.
The prime minister has not visited the commission since he took office and was criticised for arriving late to sign the Lisbon Treaty.
A commission official said the trip was "imminent" and it was "certainly being seen as an important signal".A commission official said the trip was "imminent" and it was "certainly being seen as an important signal".
'Concerted effort'
It is thought Mr Brown will travel to Brussels in the next fortnight when he will meet members of the European Commission, including President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Downing Street said the prime minister's trip to Brussels had been planned for the past two months.Downing Street said the prime minister's trip to Brussels had been planned for the past two months.
One EU source told the BBC News website that Downing Street had clearly made a concerted effort since the end of last year to improve relations with the EU.
Mr Brown missed the signing ceremony for the Lisbon Treaty last December, citing a prior engagement in parliament.
Gordon Brown has met the commission president several times
But his late showing compounded the concern felt in Brussels that he had not yet visited the commission since becoming prime minister in June.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France both paid their respects to Mr Barroso within days of taking office.
Gordon Brown is certainly no stranger to the commission president. They met early last year while Mr Brown was still Chancellor and Mr Barroso visited Downing Street the following October as well as last month.
Strong views
The Prince of Wales last visited the commission and the European Parliament in 1992 and the timing of his visit on Wednesday is also significant.
He has long held strong views on climate change and his speech to the European Parliament is being seen by the commission as sending a powerful message across the EU, less than a month after it put forward proposals on how to reach the target of cutting 20% of greenhouse gases by 2020.
A number of the prince's charities will travel with him, including the Prince's Trust, the Foundation for the Built Environment, the Rainforest Project, Prime Cymru and the Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change (CLGCC).
CLGCC has actively supported the commission's proposals on climate change and spokesman Craig Bennett said he thought Prince Charles would echo the sentiments his group had been putting forward.
During his stay, the prince will also meet members of the Belgian royal family, Crown Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde.