'The Next 18 Months Will Decide'
Prince Charles: The Next 18 Months 'Will Decide' Whether Climate Stays 'Survivable'
Ten years after his 96-month countdown, the Prince of Wales issued a shorter one: 18 months, starting July 2019. It ended in January 2021.
What was said
“I am firmly of the view that the next 18 months will decide our ability to keep climate change to survivable levels and to restore nature to the equilibrium we need for our survival.”
— Charles, Prince of Wales, now King Charles III (reception for Commonwealth foreign ministers, Clarence House) · said Jul 2019 · due January 2021 (18 months from July 2019)
The 18 months ran out in January 2021. Nothing got decided for good: the climate summits, targets and warnings carried on regardless.
The fine print
Said at a Clarence House reception for Commonwealth foreign ministers in mid-July 2019 (Royal Central, July 15, 2019, says 'late last week'). In the same remarks he said the next 18 months would 'see critical meetings that will collectively determine the global agenda for the coming decade'. The BBC's Matt McGrath ran it under the headline '12 years to save the planet? Make that 18 months'. See also his 2009 '96 months' entry.