Sir David Attenborough | A message to world leaders — Transcript

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1. 0:05I'm very sorry I can't be with you all
2. 0:08today and such an important gathering
3. 0:11some have speculated that I've seen more
4. 0:15of the natural world than anyone else
5. 0:17well it's certainly true that I have
6. 0:20been extremely fortunate to spend my
7. 0:23life traveling the world to film and
8. 0:25share the wonders of nature I've
9. 0:29witnessed the natural world at its most
10. 0:32fascinating and vibrant but I've also
11. 0:36witnessed
12. 0:37startling changes changes that are today
13. 0:41threatening our various civilizations
14. 0:44it's worth reflecting that our
15. 0:47civilizations arose in a large part
16. 0:50because of the last twelve thousand year
17. 0:53period of climatic stability known as
18. 0:57the Holocene which allowed humans to
19. 1:00settle and farm
20. 1:02this ability ultimately gave rise to
21. 1:05international trade in ideas as well as
22. 1:09goods making us the globally connected
23. 1:12species we are today and in need of the
24. 1:16International governance that you and
25. 1:18your institutions provide however we've
26. 1:23taken that stability for granted our
27. 1:26economies and political systems are
28. 1:29unconsciously predicated on the belief
29. 1:32that nature will continue to be a benign
30. 1:35and regular provider of the conditions
31. 1:38we need to thrive regular seasons
32. 1:42dependable fresh water endless fish
33. 1:46pollinators minerals soil it's now
34. 1:51apparent that the Holocene has ended and
35. 1:54our stable reliable planet no longer
36. 1:57exists the impacts of this
37. 2:00destabilization will profoundly impact
38. 2:03every country on Earth when you think
39. 2:07about it there is perhaps no more
40. 2:09unsettling thought the only conditions
41. 2:13modern humans have ever known are
42. 2:15changing and changing fast
43. 2:19you are all in positions where you can
44. 2:22make more of a difference than most if
45. 2:26ever we needed a strong signal from
46. 2:29world leaders from people like you that
47. 2:33we're going to solve this it is now in
48. 2:382020 we have a key moment in history
49. 2:41some have called it a super year a
50. 2:44coming together of major global
51. 2:46decisions on climate nature oceans and
52. 2:50development it could not be more
53. 2:54important and far-reaching what we do in
54. 2:58the next few years will determine the
55. 3:01next few thousand years thank you for
56. 3:06your leadership so far and I wish you
57. 3:09every success in inspiring other world
58. 3:12leaders to join you in this vital task