Britain's Prince Charles warned of environmental catastrophe, saying the world must "urgently confront" pressing green issues to avoid destroying "our children's future".

Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, warned that today's consumer society comes at an enormous cost to the planet and we must "face up to the fact" that it was no longer sustainable.

He also said that preserving and maintaining the world's ecosystems was inextricably linked to the economic well-being of nations.

The prince, who has campaigned on safeguarding the rainforests and is known for his strong environmental views, set out his vision for tackling the threats facing the planet in a major speech at St James's Palace in London.

He said we were "at an historic moment - because we face a future where there is a real prospect that if we fail the Earth, we fail humanity."

"To avoid such an outcome, which will comprehensively destroy our children's future, we must urgently confront and then make choices which carry monumental implications," he said.

"We are standing at a moment of substantial transition where we face the dual challenges of a world view and an economic system that seem to have enormous shortcomings, together with an environmental crisis - including that of climate change - which threatens to engulf us all."

Prince Charles described the effect mankind was having on the planet, from causing the thinning of the Arctic sea ice to threatening the world's rainforests, which have reduced by a third since the 1950s.

Delivering the annual Richard Dimbleby lecture in honour of the veteran broadcaster, he said it appeared that, if the world continued on its present path, it would lead to a "depleted and divided planet".