King Charles hailed as 'visionary' who 'wants action' on climate

The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance’s Chief Executive Marc Palahi has praised King Charles for his approach to climate change, as well as his longstanding support of organic farming

The King has been hailed as a “visionary” who “wants action” at a reception to celebrate an initiative working to create a nature-first economy.

The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance’s Chief Executive Marc Palahi said: “We’ve been creating an economy developed at the expense of nature and climate and now we have reached a tipping point. We need to move towards an economy that prospers in harmony with nature, which has been the vision of His Majesty. For decades he has pioneered thinking on that.”

Citing Charles’s longstanding support of organic farming and calls to end plastic pollution, he added: “He was a visionary and now it’s part of his legacy. People realise he was right and now we need to accelerate action. He always says seeing is believing. He wants action.”

Explaining that the CBA is working to turn the vision of a “nature-first” economy into reality across different industries, he added: “The paradox is that we have never had so much knowledge and technology to be able to change, but we are not changing. So there’s a mindset problem.”

Founded by the King in 2020, the CBA has grown from four founding organisations – Lombard Odier, LVMH, AstraZeneca and the Eranda Rothschild Foundation, to around 60 from all over the world, including fashion houses, banks, pharmaceutical companies and organisations defending indigenous rights. Marc added: “The idea of the CBA is to act as a bridge between science and indigenous knowledge, between technology and traditions.”

There was a touching moment between the King and Mere Takoko of the Pacific Whale Fund, a new ambassador for the CBA from Gisborne, New Zealand. She and the monarch shared a Hongi, the traditional Maori greeting, as protests calling for the protection of indigenous rights in New Zealand took place across the world. She later said of the King’s gesture: “It’s hugely symbolic. It’s vitally important.

"I came here in the spirit of reconciliation, friendship, and unity. From the Māori king's perspective, they enjoyed a very strong friendship and this legacy must be maintained. We are two peoples but bound together through the treaty of Waitangi, which his ancestors signed, and my ancestors signed."

Mere, who wore a traditional Kakahu cloak and pendant made of Greenstone, said she wanted to "continue to celebrate that relationship at a time which is quite divisive". The Pacific Whale Fund is working to protect the oceans and in particular, the Great Whale, which sequesters 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide during its lifetime – the equivalent of 1000 trees. Mere said the organization was establishing “indigenous led, nature based solutions” and that she hoped to "unite the United-Kingdom and the Pacific” on protecting the marine mammal.

There were also words of thanks to the King from Uyunkar Domingo Peas, head of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance. Based in Northern Peru, it brings together 30 indigenous nations to protect the rainforest and train the next generation of chiefs.

“Your Majesty, on behalf of the 30 nations of our Sacred Headwaters Alliance, we want to thank you so much,” he said. “We are the stewards of this living laboratory that we have created with the CBA in the headwaters. With the support of CBA we have reforested 162,000 trees in 41 villages and we’ve also trained 73 future chiefs in the Living Amazon school.”

The King had earlier met trustees and founders of the CBA in the Throne Room of St James’s Palace before joining the main reception. There were kisses for Lynn Forester de Rothschild, who was there to mark the launch of the CBA Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Fellowship for Reimagining Nature Finance and Inclusive Capitalism.

And there was laughter as the King recognized an old acquaintance, the German climatologist John Schellnhuber, 74, director of the International Institute of Applied System Analysts. “You still exist!” joked the monarch as they shook hands. Told the scientist planned to write to him, he replied: “I shall await your letter with eagerness.”

Touring the “living lab” stalls in the Entrée Room, each displaying the CBA’s work in different fields, the King stopped to admire a pashmina produced by the Italian fashion label Bruno Cucinelli using fine wool from Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas which has been produced through regenerative farming.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he said, touching the fabric. He was also shown cotton grown sustainably in Puglia, southern Italy, to produce t-shirts made by Armani – one of which has been sent to the monarch as a gift, along with one of the pashminas.

Federico Marchetti, chair of the Fashion Task Force of the King’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, said: “What’s important is that just 18 months from the idea generation, we have a final product.”

Established by The King in 2020 when he was Prince of Wales, the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance is working to accelerate the transition to a nature-first, circular bioeconomy that is climate neutral, inclusive and powers prosperity. Today’s reception for up to 100 guests included figures from the worlds of business, finance, Nature and followed earlier discussions and panel talks.