Attenborough: World will soon see challenges more severe than COVID

Natural historian and climate change activist Sir David Attenborough has warned the world of challenges, far more severe than COVID-19, in the next five to 10 years.

“The epidemic has shown us how crucial it is to find agreement among nations if we are to solve such worldwide problems,” said Attenborough as he took charge as People’s Advocate of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which is scheduled to take place in November in Glasgow (United Kingdom).

Attenborough, who is 95 years old, exhorted world leaders to seize the moment given by this pandemic to reach and operationalize international agreements on major issues that concern climate change.

Also read: Climate education for young minds is the need of the hour

COP26 is being looked at as the most crucial and decisive climate summit since the Paris Agreement of 2015, which was effected to keep the global temperature below 2 degree Celsius of the pre-industrial levels.

“But the problems that await us within the next 5-10 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,” Attenborough said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed gratitude towards the conservationist for agreeing to be COP26 People’s Advocate for the UK’s Presidency of the UN climate change summit. “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,” he said.

Also read: Is plastic pollution our Waterloo moment? Look around, there’s more

Alok Sharma, an Indian-origin Cabinet-level minister in the British government, will be the president of the COP26. Sharma termed climate change as the greatest threat facing mankind. “The stakes could not be higher for our planet. I am delighted to be working with Sir David, a hero for our country and our planet, to inspire action ahead of COP26,” he said.