Prince Charles Kicks off Expose of Major Pollution Offenders

The Royal Family has a myriad of national duties to live up to, and now it appears that environmental activism has joined the ‘to do’ list. As of late November, Prince Charles joined a high profile project that aims to expose major polluting corporations operating in Commonwealth nations. Should they come under fire they’ll run the risk of fierce legal action, accompanied by colossal fines.

Introducing CCLI

Termed the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative (CCLI), the new laws will target companies that fail to disclose their contribution to climate change. It will also lay down the risks of non-compliance, and failure to meet national emissions output regulations. The idea is that by actively making companies more aware of the risks, they’ll independently change their negative behaviour. For the UK, it’s a proactive way to encourage major pollution contributors to reign in their emissions, without the need for legislative action.

Charles joins the climate change fight

Joined by a team of lawyers and academics, Prince Charles will play a pivotal role in publicising the initiative. The long-term goal is to introduce new laws that would allow investors to drag the directors of offending companies through the courts. As well as Britain, these would also apply to Australia, South Africa and Canada.

In the lead up to the launch of the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative Prince Charles has been increasingly vocal on the climate change issue. The heir to the throne recently accused climate change of triggering Syria’s civil war, a conflict that’s largely fuelled by drought. He also attended environmental talks in Malta, where he maintained that finalising a climate change deal in the upcoming Paris talks was crucial.

Targeting key Commonwealth offenders

Collectively, Britain, Australia, Canada and South Africa account for a huge 13% of global coal reserves, plus 11% of global oil reserves. This makes Commonwealth based oil companies major targets when it comes to slashing CO2 emissions. With the new laws in place, emission rates and non-compliance are expected to drop.  

Want to know more about the latest European developments within the oil and gas arena? ‘ATEX and IECEx – The latest Developments from Europe and in International Certification’ looks at the requirements for equipment and installations in hazardous areas, and the ongoing developments. The article looks ahead to the future, with a focus on the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of the new ATEX Directive.

Image via Flickr Creative Commons. Credits: United Nations Photo