David Attenborough attends climate change conference

Sir David Attenborough, world-renowned environmentalist, attended the opening ceremony of UN-sponsored climate talks in Poland, on Monday, December 3rd, 2018. He gave a speech on the threat that climate change has. He urged decision-makers to listen to the world’s people.

This came about after the ‘Campaign against Climate Change’ protest that took place on Saturday, December 1st, 2018, in Central London. It began outside the Polish Embassy as a sign of solidarity.

The naturalist said: “Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale. Our greatest threat in thousands of years. Climate change.”

Attenborough was acting as the link between the public and policy-makers in the conference and took up the “People’s Seat”. "The world's people have spoken. Their message is clear. Time is running out. They want you, the decision-makers, to act now," said David Attenborough.

He was backed by Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, who claims that climate change is “a matter of life and death” in many countries.

The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, was also present at the opening of the conference last week. His view on the use of coal technology in Poland was that it's not contradictory to taking climate action.

In the conference, Guterres confirmed he will arrange a climate summit in 2019 to discuss what to do next.

To listen to Attenborough's full speech, click here.

-Aqsa Khan