If only leaders of the developed countries had taken Prince Philip's warnings seriously, then the effect of climate change would not have been what it is.

By Ang Lai Soon

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, was 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 more than 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 which is today Australia's most prominent environmental organisation.

If only 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, as seen in many disasters in recent years.

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 had 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 pastime!"

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 had been doing in the last 60 years, Prince Philip had his greatest supporter in the person of his life partner of so many years, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll of England.

The Monarch also had 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 was also the founder of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award for young people in the Commonwealth. The list goes on.

Buckingham Palace announced a few years ago that Prince Philip, the British Monarch’s stalwart companion during many years on the British throne, was to step down from public duties in that autumn. That decision, it was reported, was with the full support of Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince Philip, who would have been 100 years old this June, was the longest serving Prince Consort in the history of Britain.

The late Prince Philip was Patron, President or a Member of more than 780 organisations, and all these years he had attended more than 20,000 official engagements.

There is no doubt that Prince Philip had 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 a few times, and I found him friendly, highly knowledgeable and witty in conversations.

We are all saddened by the passing of The Prince Consort after 70 years of service to the British Crown and the people in the Commonwealth.

A very farsighted and highly knowledgeable person, he had made himself useful.

Prince Philip had, indeed, justified his existence in this rather crowded, difficult and tumultuous world.

(Datuk Seri Ang Lai Soon is Sarawak social activist, philanthropist, founder of St John's Ambulance Sarawak.)