Sir David Attenborough has said the world “cannot be too radical” in tackling climate change as he spoke out in anguish at Donald Trump. The historian & famous voice for nature documentaries such as the BBC’s “Our Planet” warned MPs there was “extraordinary” opposition to dealing with the crisis that would bring “major problems” in around 20 years. He cautioned that “criticism and the voice of disbelief should not be stamped on”, but expressed regret at the US president, Donald Trump’s stance on climate change.
Talking at the energy select committee in parliament on Tuesday, Sir David Attenborough said: “I am sorry that there are people that are in power internationally – notably of course the US – but also in Australia, which is extraordinary actually because Australia is already facing having to deal with some of the most extreme manifestations of climate change. “In both Australia and America those voices are clearly heard, and one hopes that the electorate will actually respond to this.”
Sir David used his statement to warn the world it could cost a lot of money “internationally” and that people would have to “change our lifestyles” if we want to see our planet and wildlife in the way we all know so well. He acknowledged British scientists for being “absolutely foremost” in research on climate change but warned the UK it had a greater responsibility than most other countries with their adoption of new technologies and methods to be more efficient in lifestyle choices.
Donald Trump wrote a tweet on popular social media site Twitter four years before he became president stating: “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”On getting to the Oval Office, he also announced plans to pull the US out of the 2015 Paris climate accord, which committed most major countries to take drastic action to slow global warming and has made many countries follow suit.
“I think our record has been pretty good,” he said. “And actually it has historical roots – and so it should have. “Because in fact, who started the problem? This country. It was the industrial revolution that started here. “And what was the industrial revolution? The industrial revolution was based on burning coal in the late 18th, early 19th century in the UK’s Victorian Era. “We, as it were, started the problems, and if we are now taking a lead in solving the problems then that’s only a right and responsible thing to do.”
Sir David, who has spent decades documenting natural life from every corner of the Earth on many hit shows across the globe, also backed the “electorate of tomorrow” for “already making their voices very clear”. “That is a source of great comfort in a way, but also a justification of reality that these young people now are recognising that their world is what is the future,” he also stated. “I’m okay for the next decade, and all of us are okay because we won’t face the problems that are coming. “But the problems in 20, 30 years are really major problems that are going to cause great social unrest and great changes in the way we eat and how we live.” Think about what changes you could make to your lifestyle and those around you to ensure we keep our planet as we know it.
