Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Renowned nature film producer Sir David Attenborough is worried media coverage of Chinese Coronavirus is distracting attention away from the real problem.
Sir David Attenborough: ‘Coronavirus pandemic has swept climate change off the front pages’
The broadcaster and naturalist, who turned 94 in May, said the outbreak has made the issue feel as if it is in ‘the distant future’
ByTelegraph Reporters 25 May 2020 • 12:01am
Sir David Attenborough has said the coronavirus pandemic has swept the problem of climate change from the front pages.
The broadcaster and naturalist, who celebrated his 94th birthday in May, said the outbreak has made the issue feel as if it is in “the distant future”.
Appearing on the So Hot Right Now podcast, Sir David suggested the virus could make the world’s nations see “survival depends on co-operation”.
He said: “The trouble is that right now the climate issue is also seen as being rather in the distant future because we’ve got the virus to think about.
“And so what are the papers full of? The virus. Quite right, that’s what I want to know about, too.
“But we have to make sure that this issue, which was coming to the boil with the next COP meeting in Glasgow, has suddenly been swept off the front pages. And we’ve got to get it back there.”
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Last year Attenborough got into hot water over a false claim that climate change was causing walruses to commit suicide by leaping over cliffs.
Nobody suggests Attenborough’s team caused the deaths of the walruses, but comparisons were made between Attenborough’s effort and the notorious Disney Lemming suicide myth.
The next COP conference will almost certainly be a washout, and efforts to turn Coronavirus recovery into a green money grab are faltering, but climate activists are not about to abandon their efforts to reassert control.