IF ONLY LEADERS OF THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HAD TAKEN PRINCE PHILIP'S WARNING SERIOUSLY, THEN THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN WHAT IT IS TODAY.

KUCHING, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA, May 6, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Many people may not be aware that His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Consort of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, Sovereign Head of The Order of St. John, is most probably the founding father of the world's movement for, in his own words: "the conservation of nature and the natural environment "which was soon" to acquire a totally new dimension - the conservation of the human environment."

Today the world is greatly indebted to Prince Philip for his untiring and splendid effort, over a period of 60 years, to create awareness and to conserve nature and the environment. Whatever he has predicted and said has, obviously, come true.

Starting in the late fifties, Prince Philip has been a most active and influential environmental activist extraordinaire. In 1961 Prince Philip co-founded the World Wildlife Fund which is today the world's largest conservation organisation. For political reason, Prince Bernard of the Netherlands became the President.

51 years ago, Prince Philip also founded Australia's first ever environmental organisation, the Australian Conservation Foundation and is today Australia's most prominent environmental organisation.

IF ONLY THE LEADERS OF THE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN POLITICS, COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, HAD TAKEN PRINCE PHILIP'S WARNING SERIOUSLY, THEN THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN WHAT IT IS TODAY. UTTERLY UNBEARABLE AND HIGHLY DAMAGING TO ALL.

It is this universal desire to just "progress and prosper" that has led us to this greatest threat of all times.

I always believe that if only more people as privileged as Prince Philip, who have the time, influence and money, could just join this ongoing environmental crusade, then the world would have been a much better place to live in.

Had it not been for people like Prince Philip the world could possibly have been in a worst situation.

Many years ago, a lawyer told me that environmental work was a "rich man's pass time!". As we can see especially in the last decade that the poor people are actually those who suffer in any man-made or natural catastrophe. The wealthy and the privileged are spared the suffering as they can simply get away.

In doing what he has been doing in the last 60 years, Prince Philip has his greatest supporter in the person of his life partner of 70 years, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll of England. The Monarch also has her Prince Consort the Duke of Edinburgh by her side supporting her all these years in her role as Sovereign ruler of England and Head of the Commonwealth. Indeed, this happy married couple is a role model. It is most unlikely that we will see many in this century.

The Prince is also the founder of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award for young people in the Commonwealth. The list goes on.

Buckingham palace announced last Thursday that Prince Philip, The British Monarch’s stalwart companion during 60 years on the British throne was to step down from public duties in the autumn. The decision, it was reported, was with the full support of Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Philip, 96 this June, is the longest serving Prince Consort in the history of Britain. At the moment, Prince Philip is Patron, President or a Member of more than 780 organisations, and all these years he has attended more than 20,000 official engagements.

There is no doubt that Prince Philip has influenced the thinking of many people particularly those in the field of conservation and protection of the environment. One of his ardent fans and followers must be his eldest son Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales and heir to the throne of England. Prince Charles has not only been actively campaigning directly or indirectly but practicing as well.

It is an honour and privilege to have met this eminent environmentalist extraordinaire Prince Philip, and I found him friendly and witty in conversations.

The Prince Consort deserves a good rest after 70 years of service to the Crown and the people. A very far sighted and highly knowledgeable person, he has made himself useful. Prince Philip has justified his existence in this rather crowded world.

Dato Sri Ang Lai Soon
Founder of St John Ambulance Sarawak
President of Sarawak Cheshire Home
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