Prince Albert in Copenhagen

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco is in Copenhagen, Denmark for the UN global climate change conference to talk about his favorite subject. So far he has spoken at a seminar on the Congo basin and at a meeting of the European Environment Agency. He touched on the issues which have long been the center of his focus, namely global warming and the acidification of the oceans because of green house gas emissions. The Prince stressed the importance of this issue for island nations and vulnerable coastal communities, something the people of Monaco are certainly familiar with. He also announced the launch of the "Monaco Blue Initiative" which be a collaboration between the Monaco Oceanographic Museum (founded by HSH Prince Albert I) and his own Prince Albert Foundation. He also participated in round table discussion on electric cars and the zero emissions policy of the Principality of Monaco. None of this is out of the ordinary for the Prince of Monaco though he might ruffle some feathers with his criticism of the culture of consumerism. Albert II warned that every individual consumer must take responsibility for their actions and re-evaluate their consumption due to the impact on the environment. Again, this is not exactly anything new from Prince Albert. He has said similar things in the past and, he is often answered with fingers pointing at his own jet-set lifestyle and constant travels around the world. This time will surely be no different and there will certainly be those who will accuse the Sovereign Prince of having no room to talk on the subject.

*Note: It has probably not helped the "cause" that the UN global warming conference has produced a larger carbon footprint than any other meeting in the history of the United Nations. The conference has generated more pollution than a population of millions would in an entire year -again, probably not a great thing for a group of world leaders telling everyone else to stop being so wasteful and to pay up for "green" initiatives.