Britain's Prince Charles says he shares the concerns of Greta Thunberg and other environmental activists that world leaders "just talk" about climate change and were not doing enough to prevent its catastrophic impact.

Speaking ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP26, the heir-to-the British throne, 72, who has spent most of his life speaking out on green issues, said he understood why campaigners took direct action when faced with the inactivity of politicians.

"This is a last chance saloon, literally, because if we don't really take the decisions that are vital now, it's going to be almost impossible to catch up." Charles told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Monday (October 11). "But they just talk (world leaders gathering in Glasgow), and the problem is to get action on the ground, which is what I've been trying to do the last 40 years by bringing people together from every kind of industry and walk of life."

Charles said he understood young people's despair and why groups such as Extinction Rebellion took to the streets to carry out disruptive protests, "Because I knew in the end people would get fed up and all these young feel nothing is ever happening, so of course they're going to get frustrated. I totally understand because nobody would listen and they see their future being totally destroyed.

"But it isn't helpful, I don't think, to do it in a way that alienates people, so I totally understand the frustration. The difficulty is, how do you direct that frustration in a way that is more constructive rather than destructive? So I mean, the point is that people should really notice how despairing so many young are." Charles said.

Charles, who will be joined by his mother Queen Elizabeth and his eldest son Prince William for events at the COP26 summit, has been calling for governments to work with business chiefs and the private sector to help solve the climate crisis.

Questioned about his own green credentials, given his passion for cars and the carbon impact of royal palaces, Charles said he had converted his 51-year-old Aston Martin to run on surplus white wine and whey from making cheese, and had installed biomass boiler systems and solar panels at his homes.