Prince Charles Advocates Investment In Natural Capital To Boost Economy

Prince Charles Advocates Investment In Natural Capital To Boost Economy

By Press Association 2020-

The Prince of Wales has said investment in “natural capital” should be the “engine of our economy” ahead of the launch of his ambitious Earth Charter.

At a global environmental summit, Charles will urge industry and business leaders to sign up to his 10-year project that puts “nature, people and planet at the heart of global value creation” and invest 10 billion dollars (£7.3 billion) in “natural capital”.

Called Terra Carta, or Earth Charter, the initiative has parallels with the Magna Carta – the touchstone for human rights and modern democracy – and aims to lay out a “recovery plan” towards sustainability that gives fundamental rights and value to nature.

Speaking via video link ahead of the launch, the prince told delegates at the One Planet Summit, being staged in Paris: “The interdependence between human health and planetary health has never been more clear.

“For so many of the problems we face, nature, with the benefit of billions of years of evolution, has already provided us with the solutions.

“As we urgently seek to rescue the situation, we must now look to invest in natural capital as the engine of our economy.”

He went on to say: “With growing interest in natural capital as an investment theme, the financial sector has come to see that natural capital can play a decisive role in addressing climate change, as well as supporting the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The prince spoke during an investment forum for the Great Green Wall – an Africa-led initiative to combat desertification by creating a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across the entire width of north Africa.

Charles, who co-hosted the forum, said about the African project: “The initiative offers a precious opportunity to restore land and biodiversity, while also transforming lives and livelihoods through education, employment and enterprise creation. It can also offer a model for the vital role of sustainable value chains and carbon markets.”

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