Space Industry and Business News
CLIMATE SCIENCE
King Charles's France trip closing with climate focus
King Charles's France trip closing with climate focus
By Phil HAZLEWOOD
Bordeaux (AFP) Sept 22, 2023

King Charles III on Friday puts the environment at the heart of the final day of his state visit to France, learning about climate-induced wildfires and visiting a sustainable vineyard in the heart of wine country.

The 74-year-old British head of state -- a lifelong environmentalist -- wraps up three days of diplomacy aimed at forging closer cross-Channel links after Brexit with a trip to the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

Charles, accompanied by his wife Queen Camilla, 76, had been due to visit in March but civil unrest over unpopular pension reforms forced the trip to be postponed at the last minute.

His rescheduled tour, including a ceremonial welcome at the Arc de Triomphe, a glittering state dinner at the Palace of Versailles, and a landmark address at the Senate, has been largely well-received.

Even in staunchly republican France, there have been cries of "vive le roi!" (long live the king!) and his speech to the Senate that mixed English and French was given a standing ovation by lawmakers.

The warmth of his relationship with President Emmanuel Macron has been clear, with Charles setting a slightly more informal atmosphere than would have been the case under his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Bordeaux is well-placed to illustrate the point hammered home throughout the visit about Britain and France's shared personal, political and cultural history.

It became a British possession in 1152, when the future English king Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine, effectively beginning three decades of English dominance in the region, until the end of the Hundred Years' War in 1453.

The British influence remains: some 39,000 British expats live in Bordeaux -- the highest number in France.

- Kindred spirit -

On Thursday, Charles called for a new Franco-British partnership for the environment -- an alliance for sustainability -- as part of a wider effort to repair frayed political ties caused by Brexit.

Speaking to lawmakers in the upper chamber of parliament -- a first for a British monarch -- he notably called climate change "our most existential challenge of all".

Some commentators in the UK interpreted that as coded criticism of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who this week rowed back on the government's net zero commitments.

But Charles has for a long time warned about the need to protect the environment for future generations, and he praised efforts by governments in both London and Paris for making moves to address the issue.

Before it was fashionable, he created an organic garden at his Highgrove estate in western England and has long published his household's carbon footprint.

The Aston Martin DB6 he has owned since 1970 has been converted to run on bioethanol from surplus English white wine and whey from cheese-making.

In Bordeaux, he will find a kindred spirit, Pierre Hurmic, the Green Party mayor who declared a climate emergency after his surprise 2020 election victory.

After engagements in the city, including a celebration of defence ties between the two NATO allies on a British frigate, Charles visits a research centre looking at how forests are adapting to climate change.

Huge fires, fuelled by drought and high temperatures, ripped through the Gironde region near Bordeaux last year.

His last stop before heading home is a visit to Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard, which has become a model of sustainable practice.

The vineyard, founded in the 14th century and named after Scottish former owner George Smith, uses organic compost and carbon dioxide recycling technology, shunning pesticides and herbicides.

Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CLIMATE SCIENCE
UN chief convenes 'no nonsense' climate summit, without China or US
United Nations, United States (AFP) Sept 20, 2023
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two emitters, China and the United States. Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fossil fuel companies reap handsome profits. Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce sp ... read more

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Every Gram Counts: SCHOTT Launches Lightweight Microelectronic Packages for Aerospace

Gold and mercury, not books, for Venezuela's child miners

Recycling plastic not enough, warns UN environment chief

AWS ties up with ISRO and IN-SPACe to advance India's space capabilities with cloud technologies

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Picogrid releases smallest AI-Enabled Command Station deployable in minutes

PLD SPACE signs a MOU with WISeKey to launch ultra-secure satellites with MIURA 5

Space Force awards Viasat contract for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Satellite Services

Solstar Space awarded Space Force contract for Deke Space Communicator

CLIMATE SCIENCE
CLIMATE SCIENCE
Galileo becomes faster for every user

Present and future of satellite navigation

New Galileo station goes on duty

Potential earthquake precursor discovered through GPS measurements

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Duke Field breaks ground on first electric aircraft charging station

US finds debris from missing F-35

U.S. military calls on public to help find stealth fighter jet lost in South Carolina

Ukrainian pilots test Swedish Gripen jets: government

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Canceling noise to improve quantum devices

Five things to know about British chip champion Arm

SoftBank supremo eyes rare success with Arm IPO

TSMC plans $100 million investment in Arm IPO: board

CLIMATE SCIENCE
NASA-built greenhouse gas detector moves closer to launch

SynMax announces acquisition of Gas Vista in energy and maritime intelligence push

Spire Global selected by Estuaire to monitor and reduce aviation emissions

Showcase your climate data visualisation talent with ESA

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Vietnam holds think tank chief in latest green detention

Philippine smog prompts health warnings, school closures

Pope sounds alarm on 'ecological catastrophe' at UN sidelines

Philippines activists freed after alleged military abduction

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.