Prince Charles’ Rainforest Videos, Stage 2

Last month, Prince Charles launched a “protect the rainforest” online video that included a few words from various celebrities that support the cause. Last week Prince Charles launched two more videos: one that includes a few words from various corporate leaders, and an application where anyone can make his own video to support the cause.

This is an effort to build an online community to demand that the protection of the rainforest be on the agenda at the Copenhagen climate discussions at the end of this year. The corporate clip has an impressive line up of supporters for the Prince’s Rainforest Project, such as the CEO of Google, the Chief Executive of McDonalds UK, the CEO of Sony, “computer guy” Michael Dell, the TIMES editor, and corporate leaders of the Financial Times, NIKE and Yahoo.

At the Rainforests SOS website, Charles explains that rainforests not only help keep the climate cool, absorb CO2 emissions and provide oxygen and rainfall, but their destruction releases the carbon that the trees have been storing back into the atmosphere at a rate higher than the total worldwide emissions of transport.

It is his belief that, “Unless we protect the rainforest, we will most certainly lose the battle against catastrophic climate change.”

The real star of the films is a digital frog, which can be included in the “create your own frog message” application. But unlike the traditional frog/prince relationship – or in Richard Branson's case, unlike the turn-frog-into-beautiful-woman kiss – this frog is symbolizing the rainforest and its preservation.

“Saving the rainforest can help save us all,” says Charles, “before it really is too late.”