Prince Charles urges world to keep green course amid economic crisis

TOKYO, Oct. 28 Kyodo - Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, urged Japan and other major nations Tuesday to take action in the global ''battle for survival'' against climate change and emphasized that the current financial crisis should not be made an
excuse to abandon efforts on emission cuts and forest conservation.

Embarking on the first full day of his official trip to Japan, Prince Charles
described the ''climate crunch'' as the biggest challenge the world has ever
faced and impressed an audience of business leaders by quoting, in Japanese,
the proverb ''What is now most needed is action, not words.''
''The credit crunch is rightly a preoccupation of vast significance and
importance, but we take our eyes off the climate crunch at our peril,'' the
Prince of Wales said in a speech after touring a science museum in Tokyo where
he viewed exhibits on global warming.
''Current international financial difficulties serve only to reinforce the
message that positive action to tackle climate change could in fact be a
stimulant to economic activity,'' he added.
Prince Charles, who launched the Prince's Rainforests Project last year aimed
at developing mechanisms to halt rapid deforestation, urged Japanese businesses
to play a key role in ''embracing rather than resisting'' a shift to a
low-carbon society.
''Doing nothing is simply not an option,'' Prince Charles said as he called on
advanced nations like Japan and Britain to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 70
to 80 percent by the year 2050.
The prince, accompanied by his wife Camilla, later attended a dinner hosted by
Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace.
Earlier Tuesday, Prince Charles and Camilla also visited Keio University,
Japan's oldest university. The royal couple watched demonstrations of a robot
developed by graduate students there and cultural performances such as kabuki
and kendo, as well as chatting with students.
Prince Charles, who arrived Monday, last visited Japan in 1990 with his late
wife Princess Diana when he represented Queen Elizabeth II at the enthronement
of Emperor Akihito.
Camilla, his second wife and the Duchess of Cornwall, is on her first official
trip to Japan.
The five-day royal visit marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of
diplomatic relations between Japan and Britain.
Prince Charles and Camilla will also visit Nara in western Japan, famous for
its ancient temples, and Nagano before heading to Brunei. The prince will also
continue from there to visit Indonesia, where he plans to seek ways to help
preserve and manage forests there, including stamping out illegal logging, he
said.