Sir David Attenborough calls for a New Deal For Nature

In an on-stage conversation at WEF 2019, held in Davos, Switzerland, Sir David Attenborough joined the then Duke of Cambridge for a discussion about his career, the urgent environmental challenges we face, and his advice to the next generation of leaders.

Our Planet

A one to one between our Ambassador, Sir David Attenborough and HRH the Duke of Cambridge (now Prince of Wales) saw them call on political and business leaders to protect the natural world through a global deal for nature and people – an agreement which has the potential to halt and reverse the loss of nature, and protect our planet.

They discussed Sir David’s decades of work, from his first ever documentary series sixty years ago to our upcoming series Our Planet, which will be released on 5th April. The pair also watched a short clip about the impact of climate change on the Arctic from the series. The ground-breaking, eight-part series will showcase the planet's most precious species and fragile habitats.

A New Deal For Nature

Sir David spoke of his lifelong ambition to create societal affinity with the natural world through his work, and the need now for this affinity to translate into real, collective action to protect our planet. The pair discussed the urgent, environmental challenges that our generation is currently faced with, and the opportunities for global leaders and citizens to tackle them – before it’s too late.

Sir David Attenborough said: “We have to recognise that every breath of air we take, every mouthful of food we take comes from the natural world. And that if we damage the natural world, we damage ourselves…We have the power. We have the knowledge to actually live in harmony with nature.”

A new global deal for nature and people would put the environment at the heart of our economic, political, social and financial systems and would integrate efforts to tackle climate change, biodiversity declines, threats to the environment of the high seas and development.

The deal would focus on solutions that address the underlying drivers of environmental problems and requires action from everyone, from individuals to governments and businesses to tackle their global footprint on the natural world.

Fight for UK nature

Whilst the UK should play a central role in shaping and implementing a new global deal, it’s critical that we are also demonstrating environmental leadership at home. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with more than one in seven species facing extinction in our islands and more than half in decline. With an ambitious Environment Act we can inspire the world to join the UK’s fight to restore wildlife populations, lower carbon emissions and encourage sustainable lifestyles.

Help us call on UK Government to join the fight for your world, ensuring our new Environment Act protects and restores our nature. By acting now, we can take the lead on a world stage and drive a new, global deal for nature and people. Can we afford to let that pass? It’s time to make a choice.