MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Prince Charles and Lula da Silva talk about environment and football

Prince Charles shakes hands with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

The Prince of Wales held talks with Brazilian President Lula da Silva ahead of a landmark speech by the royal on climate change. Charles met Lula da Silva in Brasilia and discussed a range of topics including the environment and sustainable development.

The danger posed by global warming has been described as the greatest threat facing mankind by Prince Charles who stated in a speech in Chile earlier this week that tackling the environmental threat should have a higher priority than fighting poverty.

The two leaders are also believed to have discussed their country's respective bids for major sporting events in the next decade. Brazil is hoping to host the 2016 Olympic Games while England is putting itself forward to stage the football World Cup in 2018.

Charles has been a long-term campaigner in the fight against climate change and set up his Rainforests Project group in 2007 to find a solution to save the world's threatened forests and help tackle global warming.

Brazil is home to the Amazon - the world's largest rainforest - and is a key partner in Britain's efforts to get an agreement between nations at a major climate summit being staged in Copenhagen in December.

Last summer President Lula da Silva launched a global fund to protect the rainforest and combat climate change with officials hoping to raise 21 billion US dollars by 2021.

Promoting low-carbon, high-growth economies in South America is also a major concern for the British Government which has asked the Prince to visit South America.

Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are touring South America and have already visited Chile. They will spend four days in Brazil then travel to Ecuador and its Galapagos Island.