Sir David Attenborough has warned that “the Garden of Eden is no more” as he urged world leaders to make a renewed push to tackle climate change.
The veteran broadcaster, 92, used his acceptance speech at the World Economic Forum to tell business leaders and governments to come up with “practical solutions”.
Speaking at the beginning of the forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, the Blue Planet and Dynasties narrator told the crowd he is “quite literally from another age”.
Sir David told the audience that the geologic time period in which he was born (The Holocene), when he said there was climatic stability, has now come to an end.
The naturalist said: “For millennia, on a global scale, nature has been largely predictable and stable. But now, in the space of one human life time, indeed, in the space of my lifetime, all that has changed. The Holocene has ended. The Garden of Eden is no more.”
The broadcaster, who was given a Crystal Award for his leadership in environmental stewardship, outlined how UN decisions on climate change, sustainable development and a new deal for nature would shape the future.
He said: "We can create a world with clean air and water, unlimited energy and fish stocks that will sustain us well into the future. But to do that, we need a plan."
Sir David added: "What we do now and in the next few years will profoundly affect the next few thousand years.”
The naturalist will take to the WEF stage again on Tuesday to be interviewed by the Duke of Cambridge. William will discuss the urgent challenges facing the next generation of environmental leaders with Sir David, who he has described as having "the single most important impact in my conservation thinking".
