David Attenborough is 100. It is time for governments to listen to him

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David Attenborough, the broadcaster and natural historian, has turned 100. Since he was born in a hospital in Middlesex in 1926, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased from around 300 parts per million to 428. This rise is as much as 200 times faster than the natural jump that came out of the last ice age. The 43% increase is unprecedented in the past three million years. Attenborough has arguably been the single most important advocate in trying to compel efforts to reverse this trend. Although he doesn’t think much of the term, he has long been hailed as a national treasure. But it is owed to everyone for governments and policymakers to do more than applaud him. In his 101st year, they have to listen to him.