Sir David Attenborough | A message to world leaders

I'm very sorry I can't be with you all

today and such an important gathering

some have speculated that I've seen more

of the natural world than anyone else

well it's certainly true that I have

been extremely fortunate to spend my

life traveling the world to film and

share the wonders of nature I've

witnessed the natural world at its most

fascinating and vibrant but I've also

witnessed

startling changes changes that are today

threatening our various civilizations

it's worth reflecting that our

civilizations arose in a large part

because of the last twelve thousand year

period of climatic stability known as

the Holocene which allowed humans to

settle and farm

this ability ultimately gave rise to

international trade in ideas as well as

goods making us the globally connected

species we are today and in need of the

International governance that you and

your institutions provide however we've

taken that stability for granted our

economies and political systems are

unconsciously predicated on the belief

that nature will continue to be a benign

and regular provider of the conditions

we need to thrive regular seasons

dependable fresh water endless fish

pollinators minerals soil it's now

apparent that the Holocene has ended and

our stable reliable planet no longer

exists the impacts of this

destabilization will profoundly impact

every country on Earth when you think

about it there is perhaps no more

unsettling thought the only conditions

modern humans have ever known are

changing and changing fast

you are all in positions where you can

make more of a difference than most if

ever we needed a strong signal from

world leaders from people like you that

we're going to solve this it is now in

2020 we have a key moment in history

some have called it a super year a

coming together of major global

decisions on climate nature oceans and

development it could not be more

important and far-reaching what we do in

the next few years will determine the

next few thousand years thank you for

your leadership so far and I wish you

every success in inspiring other world

leaders to join you in this vital task