"Nick" wrote in message
news
Prince Charles says climate change should be seen as the "greatest challenge
to face man" and treated as a much bigger priority in the UK.

That point was picked out by the BBC as the best sound bite, but what he was
really saying is that we should do more to protect farming from globalisation.

The theme he is emphasising is "food security". Although he may not be aware
of it, if there is an abrupt climate change event, then the effect on the
global climate will be to disrupt agriculture, and since we in the UK are a
net importer of food, we will be extremely vulnerable. What he is also saying
is we should protect the small farmers. This is important from the POV of
abrupt climate change too, because if farming is locked into one or two large
firms churning out the most economical crops, a change in climate could make
these no longer viable. We need the flexibility and diversity to survive such
a
catastrophe, and only a multitude of small farms with a variety of skills can
give us that protection.

The general public, and some members of this newsgroup, are only now
becoming aware that anthropogenic global warming is real. However, the
threat, which was parodied in the film "The Day After Tomorrow", is from
abrupt climate change. That will strike without warning, by definition!

Cheers, Alastair.