By Jessica Shankleman, Source: BusinessGreen

One of the UK’s foremost environmentalists, The Prince of Wales, has again called for swift action on climate change, warning he does not want to leave a “totally poisoned chalice” to his first grandchild.

Speaking in an interview that is due to be broadcast on ITV today, the heir to the throne said he now felt even more strongly about the impacts of long-term environmental damage as he prepares to become a grandfather following the news the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant.

Charles has been an outspoken campaigner on environmental issues and has helped orchestrate green commitments from thousands of businesses through the Mayday Network that he established in 2007.

“I’ve gone on for years about the importance of thinking about the long term in relation to environmental damage and climate change,” The Prince told ITV’s This Morning.

“We don’t really, in a sensible way, want to hand on an increasingly dysfunctional world to our grandchildren.”

St James’ Palace announced that the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant in December after she was admitted to hospital suffering from acute morning sickness. Charles, 64, said the news made him feel “very old”.

“I don’t want to be confronted with my future grandchild, who will say ‘why didn’t you do something?’,” he added.

“So, clearly, now that we’ll have a grandchild, it makes it even more obvious to try and make sure we leave them something that isn’t a totally poisoned chalice.”

The comments follow a series of scientific reports in recent months that have warned that the world is currently on track for potentially catastrophic temperature rises of four to six degrees by the end of the century – a date the new royal baby would see if he or she lived as long as their great grandparents, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.