Prince Charles is calling for war - one waged against climate change, that is. The prince addressed an audience composed of the European Parliament and expressed the urgent need for immediate action.

"For me, the crux of the problem is - and I only pray I will be proven wrong - that the doomsday clock of climate change is ticking ever faster towards midnight," he said. "We are simply not reacting quickly enough. We cannot be anything less than courageous and revolutionary. If we are not, the result will be catastrophe for all of us, but with the poorest in our world hit hardest of all. In this sense, it is surely comparable to war." The lives of billions of people depend on your response and none of us will be forgiven by our children and grandchildren if we falter and fail. I don’t think there is a more urgent issue for any of us to be addressing at work, at home, and indeed in every facet of our lives, than climate change."

The prince of Whales did offer accolades to the European Union for initiating efforts to reduce carbon emissions, but said even more efforts were needed to achieve these goals.

I honestly believed it was the sole duty of the royal family to be photographed on hunting or skiing excursions. It never occured to me that one of them might actually have something coherent or valuable to say. Hit the jump the read more about Prince Charles' thoughts on global warming.

» Telegraph