Sir David Attenborough handed COP26 'People's Advocate' role

Sir David Attenborough has been handed an official role at the critical UN Climate Summit in Glasgow later this year, with the veteran broadcaster today announced as COP26 People's Advocate with a remit to help "inspire action" from world leaders, decision makers, and the public.

With six months to go until the UK-hosted summit in November, the government said the appointment marked a "pivotal moment", as it faces significant pressure to rally global governments to raise their climate commitments in support of the Paris Agreement.

Attenborough's new role, it said, would be to put forward the compelling case for why climate action matters, provide evidence of the progress already underway, and highlight the actions decision makers will need to take in the coming months. He is expected to address world leaders at a number of major events over the next six months, including next month's G7 Summit in Cornwall, as well as delivering a key speech at the Glasgow Summit itself.

The world-renowned broadcaster said he was "greatly honoured" to be given the new role today, as he emphasised it was "crucial that these meeting in Glasgow, COP26, have success, and that the last nations will come together to solve the crippling problems that the world now faces".

"There could not be a more important moment that we should have international agreement," he said in a statement this morning. "The epidemic has shown us how crucial it is to find agreement among nations if we are to solve such worldwide problems. But the problems that await us within the next five to 10 years are even greater."

Attenborough has already been closely involved with the government in advocating for an ambitious outcome at the COP26 climate talks, having been on hand to launch UK preparations for the Summit back in January 2020. He also recently addressed the UN Security Council on the importance of climate action.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was "no better person to build momentum for further change as we approach the COP26 summit in November".

"Sir David Attenborough has already inspired millions of people in the UK and around the world with his passion and knowledge to act on climate change and protect the planet for future generations," he said. "I am hugely grateful to Sir David for agreeing to be our People's Advocate."

I'm hugely grateful to Sir David Attenborough for agreeing to be our People's Advocate ahead of @COP26.

There is no better person to build momentum for action on climate change and protecting the planet.
#BuildBackGreener https://t.co/G6kY5zrn1h

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) May 10, 2021

The news came as Alok Sharma, COP26 President and former UK Business Secretary, again urged governments, international organisations, businesses, and civil society to accelerate climate pledges ahead of the Summit in order to boost the world's chances to delivering net zero emissions by mid-century.

"Climate change is the greatest threat facing humanity and the stakes could not be higher for our planet," said Sharma. "The next decade will be make, or break, for cutting global emissions sufficiently to avoid the worst effects of climate change. That is why I am delighted to be working with Sir David, a hero for our country and our planet, to inspire action ahead of COP26."

Meanwhile, reports over the weekend suggested a major woodland and tree planting plan is set to be announced by the government in the coming weeks.

Due to be published in the next fortnight, the plan will aim to double the planting of woodland within four years to almost 75,000 acres a year - around 80 million trees - in what would be the biggest tree planting programme in half a century, according to The Sunday Times.

The government has repeatedly missed tree planting targets in recent years and the Climate Change Committee has warned planting rates need to step up significantly in order to deliver on the UK's 2050 net zero goal. Current targets set the bar at planting 30,000 hectares of trees per year by 2025 across the UK.

But the new plan would see the government is aim to increase further tree planting to 143 million new trees per year by 2035, covering almost 125,000 acres - or over 50,000 hectares - according to yesterday's reports.

The initial focus is on urban tree planting, as part of which the government yesterday announced the Urban Tree Challenge Fund has reopened for applications in order to plant 44,000 larges trees near schools and healthcare centres in England. The past two rounds of the Fund have supported plans to plant a combined total of 134,000 trees across England's towns and cities, the government said.