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David Attenborough is arguably the most famous wildlife and nature filmmaker in the world.
At the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the 95-year-old spoke to the heads of state and government.
David Attenborough, Animal Researcher:
"I've seen a terrible decline in my life."
He reminded the most powerful in the world of the average concentration of carbon in the atmosphere: in 2020, it was an average of 414 particles of CO2 per million particles of air.
The value may sound like little, but in fact it is enough to continue to stimulate global warming.
David Attenborough, Animal Researcher:
“The people living now are the next generation who will look back at this conference and think about one thing. Has that number stopped rising and started falling because of the commitments made here? There is every reason to believe that the answer can be "yes". If we individually have a power strong enough to destabilize our planet, then we are sure together strong enough to save it. I have seen a terrible decline in my life. You could and should witness a wonderful correction in your life. That desperate hope, ladies and gentlemen, delegates, your Excellencies, is why the world is looking at you and why you are here. Thank you."
David Attenborough has dedicated himself to life on the planet and the effects of the man-made climate crisis in a career spanning over 60 years as a writer, filmmaker, presenter and producer.
As early as 2018, at the climate conference in Katowice, he warned of the collapse of civilizations - and the extinction of many living beings (species).