King Charles has spoken of his frustration at the pace of global action on climate change, warning that he does not want future generations to inherit a “ghastly legacy of horror”. His comments feature in a new ITV documentary presented by naturalist Steve Backshall, which revisits the monarch’s 1975 expedition to the Canadian Arctic.
In the programme, Charles reflects on what he calls the “very peculiar” way scientific consensus is accepted in many fields, yet climate change is treated differently. He says: “This is the problem, isn’t it? Why is it taking so long? By which time it is almost too late to rectify. That’s my great worry about it, because you get to a tipping point.”
Backshall travelled to Buckingham Palace to interview the King about his Arctic journey, during which the then 26-year-old prince dived under ice, rode a snowmobile and dog sled, and ate raw seal liver. The documentary also examines how glaciers, wildlife and indigenous communities have been affected by five decades of environmental change.
Scenes show Backshall joining researchers studying plastic pollution in Arctic seabirds and visiting the Coronation Glacier, which has retreated around 0.6 miles in 50 years. Backshall says of the glacier: “Where I am standing right now, within a decade or so all of this ice is going to be gone.”
Charles, who warned about plastic waste and air pollution in a 1970 speech, tells Backshall he has spent years working on environmental issues so his grandchildren will not accuse him of inaction. He adds: “To me it is not fair to leave them something in a far worse state than I found it.”
Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Challenge airs on ITV1 on December 15 at 9pm.
