King Charles has issued a "call to arms" to protect the environment in his Cop28 climate summit opening statement.
Addressing world leaders at the summit, the King spoke about how he has spent much of his life trying to alert others to the dangers of global warming.
He addressed Cop28 attendees in Dubai, saying that dangers of climate change "are no longer distant risks".
The King mentioned commonwealth communities that are currently "unable to withstand repeated shocks".
The King said that the dangers of climate change 'are no longer distant risks'
COP28
He said that India, Bangladesh and Pakistan have all been struck by natural disasters which have devastated them.
The King also mentioned European countries and the US as examples of areas that have been ravaged as a consequence of global warming. He referred specifically to wildfires.
He said: "18-and-a-half million hectares of land [have been] burned, causing terrible loss of life and property and, of course, releasing enormous amounts of greenhouse gasses that contribute to dangerous feedback loops, to which climate scientists have been alerting us for decades."
King Charles said he has "tried to say on many occasions" about how we need to help repair and restore nature's "unique economy", which he said is vital to our "survivability".
"We are carrying out a vast, frightening experiment of changing every ecological condition, all at once, at a pace that far outstrips nature’s ability to cope," the King said.
"Our choice now is a starker – and darker – one: how dangerous are we actually prepared to make our world?"
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Charles spoke to world leaders at the summit in Dubai, UAE
COP28
He stated that tackling climate change is a "job for us all".
The King asked world leaders to consider five different questions.
Firstly, he asked how leaders can bring together multilateral organisations and sectors of society to tackle the climate crisis.
He then asked how best to direct money to ensure money flows to developments "most essential to a sustainable future, and away from practices that make our world more dangerous".
The King then urged leaders to use renewable energy and clean air alternatives going forward, and how innovation can be encouraged in their development.
Next, he questioned: "How can we bring together different solutions and initiatives to ensure coherent, long-term approaches across sectors, countries and industries?"
His final question looked forward a hundred years and asked leaders how they can encourage the new generations to create a more sustainable future.
King Charles III speaks with the President of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as they attend the opening ceremony of the World Climate Action Summit at Cop28
PA
The King poignantly concluded: "After all, Ladies and Gentlemen, in 2050 our grandchildren won’t be asking what we said, they will be living with the consequences of what we did or didn’t do.
"So, if we act together to safeguard our precious planet, the welfare of all our people will surely follow. We need to remember that the indigenous worldview teaches us that we are all connected. Not only as human beings, but with all living things and all that 4 sustains life.
"As part of this grand and sacred system, harmony with Nature must be maintained. The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth."
Ahead of the speech, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was a "proud moment" for him to witness the King deliver his speech on Friday, which "speaks volumes about our type of leadership as a country".
"We’ve got our head of state there, delivering a call to arms in the opening statement, which speaks volumes about the respect that he’s got on this issue around the world.
"We’ve got the head of government there with me, and we’ve got our chief diplomat there and the foreign secretary. There are very few countries that will be able to say what I’ve just said."