CONTACT Any questions or suggestions? Feel free to email me at: Sonjapearl@royaltyinthenews.com - and my real name is Megan :)
|
The King of Sweden was one of the several Baltic leaders to attend the Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki Wednesday. A long time advocate for the environment, King Carl XVI Gustaf was a likely representative of Sweden there.
 Juhani Niiranen / www.hs.fi The summit focuses on saving the Baltic Sea itself. The sea is considered to be one of the most polluted spots in the world, and organizers of this summit said a range of companies, foundations and individuals have already made more than 130 promises of action to save the Baltic.
“We don’t expect any miracles, but serious work by all of us which may make a miracle,” said Finland’s President Tarja Halonen, who co-hosted the summit with Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.
“Today, some of the richest and most environmentally conscious countries on Earth live on the shores of one of the world’s most polluted seas,” Halonen said. “Isn’t it a tragedy?”
Speaking to the summit, King Carl XVI Gustaf said the sea was a “precious resource” which countries “have to care of, and manage in the best possible way.”
“The Baltic Sea is in a very bad stage. We can read about it in the newspapers nearly every week,” he said. “Oil spills, uncontrolled coastal development, and pollution are just a few examples.”
Besides oil spills and pollution, the Baltic also suffers from the many World War II ships that are rotting away at the sea’s bottom. Furthermore, there’s eutrophication — the overconcentration of nutrients caused by sewage and agricultural run-off carrying fertilizers into the Baltic. The sea is so badly polluted, Greenpeace urges pregnant women not to eat its fish. But that’s also another problem: the Baltic is experiencing overfishing.
Tomorrow, the leaders and representatives of Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Estonia will work on their commitments on the troubled sea they all rely on.
Jordan’s Queen Noor was one of the 200 attendants at Tuesday’s Global Zero World Summit in Paris. The Summit targets a ban on nuclear weapons, with UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon leading the disarmament.
 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Iran was on the minds of the participants, especially since the country has been making headlines with its nuclear program. But Queen Noor warned on signaling out the Islamic Republic.
“There is no benefit in selective targeting. Exceptions fuel tensions,” she warned. “You have to hold all states accountable.”
That also meant Israel, which never formally acknowledged its nuclear arms but its neighbors in the Middle East are well aware of it. The Queen’s comment was immediately shot down by George Shultz, the former U.S. Secretary of State under President Reagan.
“You can’t start by telling Israel to get rid of its weapons,” when it is in a region surrounded by people “who question its right to exist.”
The summit is to last for three days. Noor, the widow of King Hussein, is expected to take part for all days since she is one of the biggest campaigner for nuclear disarmament.
On Monday, royals from three countries were among the participants in the World Future Energy Summit, taking place in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Spain and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan took part in the event, which focuses on finding ways to create environmentally friendly products in an increasingly energy reliant world.
 Haider Yousuf/Getty Images Crown Prince Felipe of Spain gave a speech to open the summit. Before he went in depth on the event, he gave his condolences to the people of Haiti. “The sheer magnitude of tragic human loss and general devastation is very hard to conceive and makes for such a prompt and generous large scale multinational effort in emergency and humanitarian relief that is currently. We wish that this will be sustained in all fields to help Haitians regain hope and put their country back on its feet as soon as possible”
After paying homage to the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the Crown Prince then discussed the summit and how the world could benefit from it.
“In the energy sector, interdependence has become an even more pressing issue. Major energy sources are geographically concentrated. Transport and distribution infrastructures often require transnational agreements. Moreover, greenhouse gases, wherever their origin, affect the environmental balance all over the planet.
“Such growing interdependence explains why international cooperation and, especially, multilateralism are so important in the energy sector; hence the high value of jointly analysing the energy challenges of the future at this Summit. Although interdependence means sharing our problems, fortunately it also means working together on to solve them.
“Therefore I am very pleased to underline how the development of renewable energy is offering the international community a course of action able to reconcile the demands of future economic growth with the necessary respect of the environment,” Felipe said.
 Haider Yousuf/Getty Images Next, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark delivered his speech. He spoke out the environment and his account with climate change.
“The impact of climate change is global, but the signs are more evident in extreme climatic areas, for example, the Arctic,” he said. “Greenland holds a special place in my heart. From my first meeting with Greenland and the Greenlandic people to my 3 months expedition with dog sledges covering more than 2000 km along the northern and north-eastern coastline during spring. A grueling expedition that honored the way the Greenlandic people have always travelled and survived. Since then my visits have been regular, the last with my cousins and colleagues Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. A visit that again illustrated that Climate change is changing the way the Greenlandic people live. Hunting and Fishing are their primary sources of income and food and this is being threatened by rising temperatures. For me, this is a clear example of the necessity to adapt. How are we as a global community able to adapt in order to combat the negative impact of climate change? How can we adapt by rethinking our use and conservation of energy? Tough questions….questions that are to be addressed in the course of this Summit.”
Frederik than used his country as an example of how new forms of energy can be used.
“In Denmark the oil crisis of the ‘70s pushed us to search for alternative energy solutions. Over the last 30 years, we have had an economic growth of 78 %, but almost zero growth in energy consumption. And 28% of our electricity supply comes from renewable sources such as wind and biomass. It proves that economic prosperity and climate friendly solutions can co-exist.
“Denmark has shown that no country is too small to become a leader within green and clean technology and providing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
The royals were then given a tour of the many vehicles, computers and other products on display.
The World Future Energy Summit ended today. The royals involved left Abu Dhabi the day the summit began.
At the U.N. Climate Change summit in Copenhagen, the heir to the British throne urged the world to take better care of the environment, as well as scolded it for exploiting its resources.
 Reuters/Bob Strong “The grim reality is that our planet has reached a point of crisis,” Prince Charles said
But he also argued that “just as mankind had the power to push the world to the brink, so too do we have the power to bring it back into balance.”
The dedicated environmentalist, who said earlier this year that the world has less than 100 months to solve climate change, went on to say “A partial solution to climate change is no solution at all. It must be inclusive and it must be a comprehensive approach.”
“In our increasingly precarious situation — on a small, unique and precious planet — this is not a problem resolvable in terms of ‘them and us’,” he said.
“For when it comes to the air we breathe and the water we drink, there are no national boundaries.”
Prince Charles was invited by the Danish government to speak at the summit. He told the delegates that the eyes of the world were upon them, and they have the power to write the future.
The three heirs to the Scandinavian thrones were present this weekend at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen. Together, they participated in the opening of the Bright Green Expo, where the world’s largest companies discussed eco-friendly solutions and renewable energy technologies they could use.
 Jens Nørgaard Larsen / Scanpix Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria, and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway gave their thoughts and experiences on the environment, which all three said needs to be taken care of.
“Combating climate change is both a fun, exciting and long struggle. We can see that the technology is on display here today. At the same time it provides the opinion to counter climate change,” said Crown Prince Haakon.
The three royals together have gone on expeditions to the Arctic area in 2008 and 2009 to see firsthand how climate change is affecting the area. However, as the Danish Crown Prince pointed out, seeing how the natives are now living with the changes gives a glimpse on how the how world can adapt.
“They have through time adapted to the changes, and it would still make them. It gives me hope and shows that it makes sense to make a difference,” said Frederik.
The Swedish Crown Princess also talked about how her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, has long been speaking out on environmental issues.
“In the beginning he felt quite alone on the subject, but today he feels that no one listens to him because everyone is talking about climate,” she said.
Haakon, Frederik and Victoria all said that it is the parents responsibility to teach their child to take better care of the planet.
“One need not let the water run continuously while brushing teeth,” Crown Prince Frederik reminded those in attendance.
When asked if the three royals will be going on another expedition anytime soon, neither could give an answer. This is mainly because Victoria will be getting married in June 2010.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain were among of the leaders from the 19 Latin American and Iberian countries to attend the 19th annual Ibero-American Summit in Estoril, Portugal. They attended the summit’s inauguration last night, and it was the King who met with some of the leaders in attendance.
 AP Photo/Armando Franca Before the inauguration, Juan Carlos met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. The two men held a private discussion, and did not tell reporters about what they talked about.
The opening of the summit included a dinner at the Jeronimos Monastery. Portugal’s President and Prime Minister played host.
Monday morning, King Juan Carlos met with another South American leader, this time Brazilian President Lula da Silva. There was no private talks this time. The King also had breakfast with the presidents of several Central American countries.
After the breakfast, it was time for the summit’s first meeting. The topic for this year is “Innovation and Knowledge.”
There are usually 22 countries taking part in the Ibero-American Summit, but this year there are only 19. Absent is Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez. Two years ago, he was memorably told to “shut up” by King Juan Carlos for interrupting the Spanish Prime Minister. It is not known why Chavez is not in attendance this time.
While this was all going on, Queen Sofia and the other first ladies took part in the Accompanying Persons Program. That meant a tour of the region of Estoril, which is outside of Lisbon. The group saw Cabo da Roca and the National Palace at Sintra.
Tonight, there will be a dinner for the participants. Nothing fancy or gala-like. The summit will conclude tomorrow.
|
|
Recent Comments