Alongside Greta Thunberg, Sir David Attenborough has in recent years become a figurehead in the fight against climate change. And it is a fight. We've been warned repeatedly for several years that the time for action is now or our planet will face irreparable damage through human-induced climate change. Yet many governments around the world have failed to implement comprehensive action that will make a real difference.
Sir David has now said that the "moment of crisis has come", adding that "we have been putting things off for year after year". The comments, given in an interview with the BBC, are in response to current environmental issues, such as the raging bush fires in Australia, heightened by arid land and climatic conditions which are worsened by human activities. "As I speak," Sir David said, "south-east Australia is on fire. Why? Because the temperatures of the Earth are increasing."
There was hope that the Paris Agreement signed in 2016 would be the beginning of significant change. High hopes were also placed on the discussions at COP25 in December 2019. Despite the fact COP25 was the longest UN climate talks in history, it ended with little to no agreement on tangible changes to protect our planet. Instead, it challenged delegates to make new climate pledges in time for COP26 taking place in Glasgow in November, a decision that led the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to say: "The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis."
Given that scientists have recently confirmed that the 2010s was the hottest decade on record and 2019 was one of the warmest years ever seen, it is no wonder that Sir David is choosing to speak up in the strongest of terms.
Whilst some governments have already made different pledges to take action, there is no guarantee that it will actually happen. The UK has been one of the more active countries in this area, setting a legally binding zero carbon emissions target by 2050, although decisions need to be made soon about how this will be achieved and then actions implemented to make sure it actually happens.
Sir David said, "We have to realise that this is not playing games," adding "This is not just having a nice little debate, arguments and then coming away with a compromise.
"This is an urgent problem that has to be solved and, what's more, we know how to do it - that's the paradoxical thing, that we're refusing to take steps that we know have to be taken."
Let us hope the world begins to listen to Sir David and other prominent activists.
