HRH The Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister will address an audience of South West businesses on 1 May at The Prince of Wales's May Day Business Summit on Climate Change, via a live feed from a central event taking place in London. The Summit will reconvene the May Day Network, a group of over 800 businesses and organisations in the UK committed to taking collective action to tackle climate change.

Proceedings will be broadcast simultaneously to 12 regional events across the UK, with the Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister urging businesses to take practical and collaborative action to tackle climate change. The carbon reduction figure achieved by Network members and the South West C+ Carbon Positive Award winners will also be announced.

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The South West event, taking place at the Met Office in Exeter, sponsored by the South West of England Regional Development Agency, Met Office and EDF Energy, will specifically explore the economic opportunities climate change offers the South West, how businesses can work smarter with SMEs, suppliers and customers, as well as what investment is being put into regional climate change initiatives in the region. The event will also celebrate the South West C+ Carbon Positive Awards illustrating the positive impact businesses, organisations and communities are having on the environment in the region.

Simon Hooton, Director of Policy and Strategy at the South West RDA, said: "Climate change will affect every aspect of our society, economy and environment and that's why we are supporting this summit. As an RDA we are committed to making all our investments net zero carbon by 2013. We are also leading the region's transformation to a low carbon economy by unlocking the business potential of climate change and tackling the challenges of global warming."

Since the inaugural May Day Summit on 1 May 2007, the businesses that have signed up to the Network have been working on the pledges they made on that day, working collaboratively with employees, customers and suppliers to reduce their carbon emissions. On 1 May 2008 even more business in the region will be challenged to measure their direct carbon footprint and reduce their carbon output.

(JM/NS)