Naturalist and veteran broadcaster Sir David Attenborough has been named ‘Champion of the Earth’ by the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP).

The UN conferred it’s “most distinguished environment award” on the 95-year-old for his dedication to telling stories about nature and the climate crisis and advocating for protection.

Accepting the award, Sir David said past conservation successes should give us hope that change is possible.

“Fifty years ago, whales were on the very edge of extinction worldwide,” he said. “Then people got together and now there are more whales in the sea than any living human being has ever seen.”

Sir David said the fight to save the natural world cannot be solved by one country alone but required collective action.

“We know what the problems are and we know how to solve them. All we lack is unified action,” he added.

Sir David’s career as a broadcaster and natural historian spans seven decades.

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In later years he became more outspoken about people’s destruction of nature and warming of the climate, advocating for conservation, renewable energy, climate action and plant-rich diets.

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At November’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, the environmentalist drew a standing ovation after telling world leaders “those who have done the least to cause this problem are among those to be hardest hit”.

“Ultimately, all of us will feel the impact, some of which is unavoidable,” he told an audience that included US President Joe Biden.

UNEP chief Inger Andersen said if humanity stands a chance of “averting climate and biodiversity breakdowns and cleaning up polluted ecosystems, it’s because millions of us fell in love with the planet that he showed us on television”.

She said she hoped Sir David’s work would continue to inspire people of all ages to become the “restoration generation”.

Previous recipients of the special lifetime achievement award include Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, environmental justice advocate Robert Bullard and charity Sea Women of Melanesia.

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