Last night, I watched Prince Charles present the 2009 Richard Dimbleby Lecture, entitled Facing the Future, a talk which emphasised the plight of the planet and humanity and forecasting the bankruptcy of nature's resources if we don't act fast enough.
His Royal Highness didn't offer any news that I hadn't heard before. However, I was transfixed by his delivery, a confident presentation that was evidently coming from the heart and backed up with both an academic and a practical vision of the future. The risk was clear, if we continue to consume as much as we have over the last three decades, our natural resources will be out of balance with the needs of our population and our children face a future of a "living hell".
People criticise Prince Charles for what they refer to as "meddling" in politics, but from what I witnessed last night, he has my vote to meddle as much as he likes. After all, as his introduction by Jonathan Dimbleby indicated, our heir to the throne has access to people, resources and experiences that go far wider than even many of our politicians could ever dream. As a UK citizen, I hope that he is able to take a lead role and work with our government, agencies and our communities to take us into the future.
Meanwhile, I hope as many people take time to watch the video of last night's lecture and even if you have only the slightest concern - or even doubt - over climate change, I ask that you watch it and if you support the ideas, to share it with others too, either on your blog, via Twitter, Facebook or email. The iPlayer video is available online, and can be accessed by clicking the photo above or through the following link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00lncxc/Richard_Dimbleby_Lecture_Facing_the_Future/
If you don't agree with what he says, that's fine, but if you do, I'd like you to start thinking about the other small changes that you can make, to help ease what he calls a time of transition.
I like to think of it as an opportunity to rewind, to revisit the knowledge of our forefathers and adopt the habits of older generations that have dwindled with their passing; appreciating what we've got now, understanding how to make things last longer and connecting back to a state of social inter-dependence in local communities instead of the culture of independence that currently thrives.
As a western society we are lucky that we have more resources on hand to feed and clothe us than every before and opportunities to make us the individuals that we are and the freedom we enjoy.
And the only way that we can hand-down the same opportunities and freedom to our sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren is to slow down our consumption, which in turn will save energy further down the line. Thinking twice about whether you really need that extra T-shirt, even if it is in a sale and whether it really a good idea to jump in the car for that emergency bar of chocolate whenever the mood takes.
That part is not a lecture by the way. It's simply my own wake-up call to continue the journey that began with reducing our waste at home and I now need time to think about what else I can do to preserve what we have and hold dear.
And if by sharing my thoughts on this today can help realise a legacy of a balanced natural world that future generations deserve, I am simply glad to be of service, even if it is only one small drop in an enormous ocean
Thank you Prince Charles for sharing your thoughts in your lecture and to everyone else, thank you for listening.
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