The king will tell world leaders that “the hope of the world rests on the choices you have to make” when he speaks at the Cop28 eco-summit in Dubai today.
He is the only foreign leader invited to speak at the climate meeting of global leaders to honor his decades of environmental work.
In his speech, His Majesty is expected to tell delegates: “I pray with all my heart that Cop28 will be a decisive turning point towards real transformational action.”
But he will also warn that while progress has been made towards a more sustainable future, the repeated warning signs of the impacts of climate change – particularly in vulnerable regions across the Commonwealth – are being ignored.
The king believes this could have devastating consequences as “lives and livelihoods are devastated.”
The king will tell world leaders that “the hope of the world rests on the choices you have to make” when he speaks at the Cop28 eco-summit in Dubai today
King Charles speaks to representatives at the Commonwealth and Nature reception during COP28
Aides said His Majesty “deeply appreciated” the invitation, which came from the United Arab Emirates as host country and at the request of the British government
It goes without saying that he will argue that the world needs real action and that solutions can only be achieved through the collaboration of nations, making it easier for the public sector, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other stakeholders to work together to take necessary steps.
“The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth,” he adds. It will be the king’s first major speech on the environment since he became monarch last year, and his words were made with the “full support” of the government, aides stressed.
Unlike the king, who is a passionate environmentalist, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has rejected his green promises. Mr Sunak will be present along with new Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who spent time with the King yesterday.
Aides said His Majesty “deeply appreciated” the invitation, which came from the United Arab Emirates as host country and at the request of the British government.
The royal told Lord Cameron: “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world” as he met students at a Dubai campus.
Later, indigenous tribes from Brazil gave him a handcrafted, decorated wooden bird, a symbol of biodiversity. Joenia Wapichana said: “I thanked him for everything he has done to help protect biodiversity in the Amazon.”
However, according to official figures, Cop28 is set to be the largest and most polluting event of its kind, which could leave green activists red-faced.
The amount of greenhouse gases the event will emit is expected to exceed those of previous meetings because of the sheer number of participants, experts said.
More than 104,000 official delegates are attending the summit – and an estimated 400,000 more will attend related events across the United Arab Emirates.
The vast majority of visitors to the oil and gas-rich Gulf country will arrive by plane – so the amount of emissions produced is expected to dwarf those of previous years.
Scientists calculate that a return commercial flight from the UK to Dubai will produce around 1.3 tonnes of CO2 – and a private jet more than nine times that figure per passenger.
King Charles is greeted by Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron as he arrives for a meeting with students at the Heriot-Watt University campus in Dubai during Cop28
In his speech, His Majesty is expected to tell delegates: “I pray with all my heart that Cop28 will be a decisive turning point towards real transformational action.”
People walk through the venue of the UN climate summit COP28 with the Al Wasl Dome in the background in Expo City
But climate experts say the enormous amounts of greenhouse gases produced by the event will be worth it if it helps slow global warming by getting countries to commit to reducing their emissions.
Richard Black from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said: “Given the number of people expected here, this is likely to have the highest carbon footprint of any COP to date.”
“But the size of that footprint is absolutely dwarfed by the emissions cuts that a deal can bring.” If all the agreements reached at the Glasgow summit two years ago were implemented, it would save 70,000 times more carbon than the summit itself generated.
“And in this case, the biggest element of any deal on the table – the agreement to triple the use of renewable energy by 2030 – would avoid 7 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions this decade, equivalent to around 20 years of the UK’s emissions. “
A Cop28 spokesperson said: “Cop28 will demonstrate its sustainability ambitions by delivering a carbon conscious and sustainable event.”