Prince Charles announces Terra Carta to push for global climate action

The agreement, based on the 800-year-old Magna Carta, gives fundamental rights and value to nature and the planet 

The Prince of Wales is leading a new fight against the impending climate crisis, launching a “Terra Carta” or Earth Charter, which aims to put nature, people, and the planet at the heart of the corporate sector. 

The charter provides a roadmap to 2030 for businesses to commit to practical action that will set the planet on a more sustainable trajectory. 

Unveiled at the One Planet Summit in France on Monday, the charter contains nearly 100 actions that businesses can take, including a commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner, protecting natural ecosystems, and directing $10 billion to green causes by 2022. 

In the charter foreword, the Prince of Wales called on CEOs from across the globe to “engage and play their part in leading the global transition”.  

“To build a productive and sustainable future, it is critical that we accelerate and mainstream sustainability into every aspect of our economy,” he said. 

The plan has already gained the support of several major companies including Black Rock, Bank of America, and HSBC.

Putting theory into practice 

Sarah Downie, the CEO of the Shared Value Project Australia and New Zealand (SVP), told Pro Bono News that the charter came from a place of opportunity and that it would inspire the business community into action. 

“The fact that this particular charter recognises that there is enormous expertise and strength and innovation in the private sector to achieve a more sustainable world is what particularly excites me,” Downie said.  

But she said that helping businesses put these commitments into practice was going to be the next big step, and that shared value – a business strategy that solves social and environmental issues profitably – would be of great use.   

“What we think is really important is helping businesses with the ‘how’, and that’s certainly where we think the shared value strategy, thinking and frameworks can be really powerful in translating this why and what of the charter into tangible differences,” Downie said. 

“I don’t think that one single charter is the answer… but I’m hopeful. I do think the real hard work is in the delivery.” 

Read the full charter here.