The 64-year-old Prince, an outspoken campaigner on environmental issues, told ITV's This Morning he did not want Prince William and his wife Kate's child, due to be born next summer, to ask him why he had not done more to tackle issues like climate change.
In an interview at Clarence House, he said: "I've gone on for years about the importance of thinking about the long-term in relation to the environmental damage, climate change and everything else.
"We don't, in a sensible world, want to hand on an increasingly dysfunctional world to our grandchildren, to leave them with the real problem. I don't want to be confronted by my future grandchild and (have) them say: 'Why didn't you do something?'"
"So clearly now that we will have a grandchild, it makes it even more obvious to try and make sure we leave them something that isn't a total poisoned chalice."
Charles spoke as he backed This Morning's You Can Be Heroes Week, which aims to capitalise on the success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and create a new army of volunteers across the UK.
He said in December he was "thrilled" at the prospect of becoming a grandfather, after William and Kate announced the Duchess was expecting their first child.
Charles has been a strong advocate of taking action to protect the environment for many years.
Backing the programme's campaign supporting volunteering he said events like the 2012 Olympics, Paralympics and Diamond Jubilee "bring out the best in people".
