Prince Charles Co-Authors Popular Science Book On Climate Change

The royal has previously lambasted climate skeptics, famously referring to them as the "headless chicken brigade."
LOADINGERROR LOADING

Prince Charles, long an outspoken advocate about the dangers posed by climate change, has teamed up with publisher Penguin Random House to co-author a popular science book on global warming.

The hardback, which will be released Jan. 26, was created in the style of the iconic range of Ladybird children’s books first made popular in the 1960s. Co-authored by the prince, environmentalist Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh, a climate scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, the book explains the history, dangers and challenges of global warming and explores possible solutions with which to reduce its impact,” according to an Amazon blurb.

The volume, titled “Climate Change,” is part of a new Ladybird Expert series aimed at adults. Its cover features a scene inspired by the 2000 flooding of the British town of Uckfield — a disaster that, at the time, prompted Prince Charles to lament mankind’s arrogant disregard of the delicate balance of nature.”

Oxford University researchers later concluded that global warming had made the Uckfield floods between two and three times more likely to happen. “It shows climate change is acting here and now to load the dice towards more extreme weather,” said researcher Myles Allen, who led the Oxford study, in 2011.

Penguin Books

Prince Charles has long warned of the dangers of climate change. In 2014, he called it the greatest challenge facing mankind.

“We are running out of time ― how many times have I found myself saying this over recent years?” he said in a video address screened during Climate Week in New York. “We simply have to win the battle against climate change to secure our future, and the future of our children and grandchildren. I fear there is not a moment to lose.”

Also in 2014, the prince skewered climate change skeptics, referring to them as the “headless chicken brigade” during an awards ceremony for entrepreneurs in the sustainability industry.

“As you may possibly have noticed from time to time, I have tended to make a habit of sticking my head above the parapet and generally getting it shot off for pointing out what has always been blindingly obvious to me,” the prince told the audience, referring to his climate activism. “Perhaps it has been too uncomfortable for those with vested interests to acknowledge, but we have spent the best part of the past century enthusiastically testing the world to utter destruction; not looking closely enough at the long-term impact our actions will have.”

Prince Charles has been a vocal opponent of climate skeptics, whom he once referred to as the "headless chicken brigade."
Prince Charles has been a vocal opponent of climate skeptics, whom he once referred to as the "headless chicken brigade."
Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

Penguin told The Guardian this week that its new Ladybird Expert series will offer “bite-sized understanding” of challenging topics, such as quantum mechanics and evolution. Each volume in the series is penned by leading experts in their respective fields, the publisher said.

Prince Charles’ climate change book was extensively peer reviewed by figures within the environmental community,” Penguin said. Several climate scientists, including David Warrilow, chairman of the climate science special interest group at the Royal Meteorological Society, scrutinized the manuscript before publication.

In 2015, Ladybird launched its Books for Grown-ups line, a satirical series that covers such topics as hipsters, the zombie apocalypse, hangovers and the midlife crisis.

The series has reportedly sold more than 3 million copies to date.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot