'The World Is On the Brink'

Less than a year before president john F. Kennedy delivered his Commencement Address at the American University in 1963, the Cuban Missile Crisis had brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

- By HRH The Prince of Wales. Photographs by Paul Souders, Algi Febri Sugita, Central Press, Hulton Archive, Putu Sayoga, Bloomberg, Alastair Grant, Samir Hussein, Chris Jackson, Andrew Milligan, Karwai Tang, Anadolu Agency and Getty

Though the prospect of a lasting peace remained a distant hope, in his remarks JFK rejected the inevitability of war as “a dangerous and defeatist belief,” and argued against the view that “mankind is doomed” or “gripped by forces we cannot control.” Rather, he offered a global challenge, powerfully declaring that:

“Our problems are manmade—therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man’s reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable—and we believe they can do it again.”

That inspiring call to action remains prescient today, but in a different context and a different conflict— our battle against climate change to create a cleaner, safer and healthier planet for future generations. Once again, the world is on the brink, and we need the mobilizing urgency of a war-like footing if we are to win.

“WE NEED the MOBILIZING URGENCY of a WAR-LIKE FOOTING if WE ARE TO WIN.”

Sixty years ago, my late father identified the damage humankind was inflicting on the planet and helped to found the World Wildlife Fund. A decade later, when I first spoke publicly about the environment, many wondered if my sense of urgency was misplaced. That view has shifted in the intervening decades, though all too slowly, and, even today, lacks the urgency needed.