Legendary natural history documentary maker Sir David Attenborough has spoken out about the dangers of climate change.
A stark message by Sir David Attenborough was issued to world leaders at United Nations COP24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland, who were urged to take action to drive down greenhouse gas emissions.
Sir David said the world was facing its “greatest threat in thousands of years” and that time was running out.
As his latest series, Frozen Planet, comes to a climax, he warns: “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.”
He said that if temperatures continued to rise, it could have a catastrophic effect on the human race.
“The world’s people have spoken, their message is clear, time is running out, they want you, the decision-makers, to act now.
“They’re supporting you in making tough decisions but they’re also willing to make sacrifices in their daily lives.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned negotiators at the meeting that the world was “in deep trouble” with climate change.
“Climate change is running faster than we are and we must catch up sooner rather than later, before it’s too late,” he said.
As part of COP24, Sir David was speaking from the “People’s Seat”: an effort to give a voice to the billions of citizens who aren’t in attendance at the UN summit – but whose continued existence on the planet depends on the decisions made over the next fortnight by the delegates invited.
The UN has launched an “ActNow.bot” which helps people discover simple everyday actions they can take to tackle climate change.
It remains to be seen whether COP24 will provide the world-saving congress millions are hoping for, but with so much resting on how these talks play out, all eyes are on Katowice right now.