Davos 2020: Greta Thunberg meets Prince Charles for first time

The Prince of Wales was introduced to the environmental campaigner after delivering a keynote address

The Prince of Wales and Greta Thunberg have made each other’s acquaintance for the first time at Davos 2020.

On Wednesday 22 January, Prince Charles delivered a keynote address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to launch the Sustainable Market Council.

Following his speech, the royal was introduced to environmental campaigner Thunberg, marking the pair’s first meeting.

The official Twitter account for Clarence House shared two photographs of Prince Charles and Thunberg on the social media platform.

In one of the pictures, the royal shakes hands with the climate activist, while in the second they stand next to one another smiling at the cameras.

An extract from his speech, in which he outlined his hope for 2020 to kickstart “a decade of action for people and planet”, was released online prior to his appearance at the summit.

“With consumers controlling an estimated 60 per cent of global GDP people around the world have the power to drive the transformation to sustainable markets,” Prince Charles said.

“Yet, we cannot expect consumers to make sustainable choices if these choices are not clearly laid before them.”

The prince expressed his hope that the Sustainable Markets Council will help bring together leaders from public and private sectors, charitable organisations and investors in order to ease a transition to sustainable markets.

“For a transition to take place, being socially and environmentally conscious cannot only be for those who can afford it,” the 71-year-old stated.

“If all the true costs are taken into account, being socially and environmentally responsible should be the least expensive option because it leaves the smallest footprint behind.”

On Tuesday, Thunberg launched a scathing attack against​ US president Donald Trump at Davos.

The 17-year-old condemned Trump’s stance on the climate crisis, stating his “inaction is fuelling the flames”.

Speaking to world leaders and industrialists, the Swedish activist stated: “Unlike you, my generation will not give up without a fight. Our house is still on fire.”

In June 2019, Prince Charles warned that it may be ”too late” to save the planet from an environmental crisis.