Sir David Attenborough has warned world leaders that the collapse of civilisation and the natural world is “on the horizon”.
Attenborough, famous for his decades of documenting the world and its wildlife, was addressing delegates of almost 200 countries attending the COP24 UN climate change summit in Poland, designed to negotiate how to turn the 2015 Paris climate deal into reality.
“Right now we are facing a manmade disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change,” Attenborough said. “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Attenborough had been chosen to “represent the public, by taking the ‘People’s Seat’ at the conference”, CNN reports, after the UN had asked people around the globe to send in their thoughts about climate change.
“Leaders of the world you must lead,” he continued. “The continuation of our civilisations and the natural world on which we depend is in your hands.”
Attenborough also used the opportunity to plead with the United States to remain committed to fighting climate change, despite Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate deal.
“Please join the rest of the world,” he said. “The entire rest of the world is united in trying to take action on this. The United States is a very, very powerful voice. Please, please, join us.”
The Guardian says that the two-week COP24 summit is the “most important since Paris”, and that the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for the summit to deliver “firm funding agreements” to combat climate change.
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Earth's seasons are out of whackUnder the radar The seasons' unfixed nature in different regions of the planet may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
When does autumn begin?The Explainer The UK is experiencing a 'false autumn', as climate change shifts seasonal weather patterns
-
How 'freakosystems' are becoming the normThe explainer Ecosystems are changing permanently
-
Cloudbursts: what are the 'rain bombs' hitting India and Pakistan?The Explainer The sudden and intense weather event is almost impossible to forecast and often leads to deadly flash-flooding and landslides
-
What do heatwaves mean for Scandinavia?Under the Radar A record-breaking run of sweltering days and tropical nights is changing the way people – and animals – live in typically cool Nordic countries
-
Blue whales have gone silent and it's posing troubling questionsUnder the radar Warming oceans are the answer
-
Acid rain is back: the sequel nobody wantedUnder The Radar A 'forever chemical' in rainwater is reviving a largely forgotten environmental issue
-
Why is the world so divided over plastics?Today's Big Question UN negotiations on first global plastic treaty are at stake, as fossil fuel companies, petrostates and plastic industry work to resist a legal cap on production
