Sir David Attenborough has today appeared in a new video calling for “bold action” at COP26 to help nature recover.
In the short film, released by The Wildlife Trusts to coincide with the start of the global climate summit, Sir David highlights the role of wildlife in addressing the climate emergency.
He says: “Nature has extraordinary powers to lock up carbon dioxide; to provide clean air and water; to help protect us from flooding and extreme weather; and to provide the food which sustains us.”
But Sir David comments on the decline of wildlife, saying that nature has reached “breaking point”.
Almost half of UK wildlife is in decline and approximately 1 million species of plants and animals are at threat of extinction globally.
In a clear message to the world leaders gathering at the climate conference in Glasgow, which kicks off today, Sir David says: “We need bold action, supporting local communities and landowners to create thriving and connected wild places on land and at sea.”
Attenborough, who has been involved with The Wildlife Trusts since the 1960s, says that alongside ending the burning of fossil fuels, we must “recognise the role of nature in helping us turn the tide."
According to research by The Wildlife Trusts, the government needs to commit at least £1.2 billion extra each year to help restore the UK’s nature.
In August 2021, the Government announced an amendment to the Environment Bill to include a legal target to halt the decline of wildlife by 2030.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says: “It’s not too late to repair habitats on a grand scale to store carbon and help nature recover – but we need to act now.”
“Our society faces a huge challenge with the inextricably linked climate and nature crises, and so we must invest far more in wilder landscapes to store carbon and protect ourselves and wildlife from extreme weather conditions.”
Leaders are expected to lay out their plans for limiting global temperature rises at COP26, widely understood to be the last chance to tackle the climate emergency.
- Find out what The Wildlife Trusts are doing about COP26 at wildlifetrusts.org/cop26
