The Prince of Wales told delegates at the United Nations climate conference in Paris that climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity.
Prince Charles addressed delegates at COP21
Negotiators from 195 countries have gathered in Paris for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties, known as COP21, to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change. Leaders from 147 nations, including Prince Charles and David Cameron, addressed the meeting on Monday, with statements limited to three minutes each.
Prince Charles said that humans are becoming the "architects of our own destruction" and called on delegates to think of "generations yet unborn" when deliberating on an agreement that could lead to "a saner future".
"On an increasingly crowded planet, humanity faces many threats - but none is greater than climate change. It magnifies every hazard and tension of our existence.
"It threatens our ability to feed ourselves; to remain healthy and safe from extreme weather; to manage the natural resources that support our economies, and to avert the humanitarian disaster of mass migration and increasing conflict."
"While the planet can survive the scorching of the earth and the rising of the waters, the human race cannot," said the Prince.
David Cameron called for binding agreements and immediate action to tackle climate change.
"Instead of making excuses tomorrow to our children and grandchildren, we should be taking action against climate change today," he told the meeting.
"What we are looking at is not difficult - it is doable and therefore we should come together and do it."