How two 95-year-olds stepped up to show the way at climate summit
One is climate change royalty, the other the world’s longest-serving monarch – yet it fell to two 95-year-olds to point the planet away from its path of destruction to set the tone for the Glasgow COP26 summit.
Undated Buckingham Palace handout image of a video grab taken from Queen Elizabeth II's video message, which was played during a welcoming reception at Cop26 this evening. Issue date: Monday November 1, 2021.. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Cop26 Queen. Photo credit should read: Buckingham Palace/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
British naturalist David Attenborough gave leaders at the UN climate summit in Glasgow a brief lesson is the fragility of the planet and humanity’s dependence on the natural world.
The 95-year-old documentary-maker, who was announced at Monday’s ceremonial opening as the “people’s advocate,” spoke ahead of presidents and prime ministers from more than 100 countries. Another nonagenarian, Queen Elizabeth, addressed the summit by video to declare it was “time for action”.
Attenborough said for much of humanity’s existence, the climate on Earth had swung wildly before stabilising 10,000 years ago, allowing human civilisations to flourish.
“The stability we all depend on is breaking,” he told the summit.
Attenborough said the action necessary to curb greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would prevent dangerous global warming is possible, if countries move quickly and decisively.
“We are, after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth,” he said. “If working apart, we are a force powerful enough to destabilise our planet.
“Surely working together, we are powerful enough to save it.”
His thoughts were echoed by Queen Elizabeth II who told the United Nations climate change summit that “the time for words has now moved to the time for action”, as she urged world leaders to think of future generations when negotiating a deal to limit global warming.
The 95-year-old was due to attend the event in person in Glasgow but delivered a recorded video after doctors advised her to rest for two weeks.
“It is the hope of many that the legacy of this summit – written in history books yet to be printed – will describe you as the leaders who did not pass up the opportunity; and that you answered the call of those future generations,” the world’s oldest and longest-reigning monarch said.
“That you left this conference as a community of nations with a determination, a desire, and a plan, to address the impact of climate change; and to recognise that the time for words has now moved to the time for action.”
The Queen paid tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, who died aged 99 earlier this year. She remembered how he had warned an academic gathering in 1969 about the need to tackle the threats from pollution.
“If the world pollution situation is not critical at the moment, it is as certain as anything can be that the situation will become increasingly intolerable within a very short time,” she quoted him as saying.
The Queen said she was particularly happy to welcome leaders to the summit because “the impact of the environment on human progress” was a subject close to his heart.
She said she “could not be more proud” that his work had been continued by her two closest heirs, Prince Charles and Prince William, who are attending the summit.
