Sir David Attenborough named people’s advocate for the planet

Natural historian calls Cop26 'our last opportunity to make the necessary step-change' towards protecting the planet

Natural historian Sir David Attenborough has been named a climate change champion ahead of the Cop 26 summit.

Attenborough will address world leaders as a "people’s advocate" at the Cop 26 talks being held in Glasgow in November.

With six months to go before the key climate talks, the broadcaster will put forward the case for taking climate action.

“I am greatly honoured to be given the role of people’s advocate," Attenborough said.

"There could not be a more important moment that we should have international agreement.

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  Around $3.5 trillion is required between now and 2050 to meet targets for a 'sustainable path', according to the International Energy Agency. AP Photo

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  The makeshift Suweida camp for internally displaced people in Yemen’s Marib province. The effects of climate change have exacerbated the displacement of local populations during the country’s war. AFP

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  A firefighter monitors a controlled burn, near Jolon, California.Frequent wildfires are an indication of climate change further getting out of control, say environmentalists. Bloomberg

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  Wildfire burns through the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, north of Azusa, California. AFP

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  Steam rises from a steel mill in Duisburg, Germany. Some countries are using the coronavirus pandemic to wind back climate change commitments, say environmentalists. Getty Images

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  A deforested area close to Sinop, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest rose by almost 22 percent from August 2020 to July 2021, compared with the same period the year before, reaching a 15-year high. AFP

“The epidemic has shown us how crucial it is to find agreement among nations if we are to solve such worldwide problems, but the problems that await us within the next five to 10 years are even greater.

"It is crucial that these meetings in Glasgow, Cop26, have success, and that at last the nations will come together to solve the crippling problems that the world now faces.”

He previously described Cop26 as possibly “our last opportunity to make the necessary step-change” towards protecting the planet.

Attenborough will address world leaders at major international events over the next six months, including the G7 Summit in Cornwall in June.

The aim is to push climate and the protection of nature to the top of the global agenda.

As part of its environmental efforts, the UK is investing in a green recovery that creates sustainable jobs and addresses the urgent and linked challenges of public health, climate change and loss of biodiversity.
"Sir David Attenborough has already inspired millions of people in the UK and around the world with his passion and knowledge to act on climate change and protect the planet for future generations," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

“There is no better person to build momentum for further change as we approach the Cop26 climate summit in November.

"I am hugely grateful to Sir David for agreeing to be our people’s advocate.”

This year, Britain announced at the climate change leaders’ summit, hosted by US President Joe Biden, that it planned more ambitious cuts in carbon emissions.

"Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity and the stakes could not be higher for our planet," Cop26 President Alok Sharma said.

“The next decade will be make, or break, for cutting global emissions sufficiently to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

"That is why I am delighted to be working with Sir David, a hero for our country and our planet, to inspire action ahead of Cop26."