Academy Award winning actor Robert Redford met with high-level members of United Nations on Monday to discuss the growing concern of climate change.
Redford said he addressed the UN General Assembly not as an actor but as a father, grandfather and environmental advocate to urge the nations of the world to take an active role in stopping the threat of global warming.
"I believe climate change is the defining environmental issue of our time," Redford wrote in an article before his UN address. "It's hurting our people—around the world—and it's time to stand up and say we've had enough."
In his speech, Redford pointed out that science has proven that climate change is real, and that it is a product of human activity. He stressed that modern weather is going to become extinct.
The veteran Hollywood actor said that the mission of the UN member nations is simple yet daunting at the same time. It is to save the earth before it is too late.
Redford called on the leaders of the world to approve a universal climate agreement at the upcoming climate conference in Paris this December in order to halt the rise of global warming to hazardous levels.
He said that the conference could be the last chance for the world to rally behind a common goal to save the planet.
"Unless we move quickly away from fossil fuels, we're going to destroy the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the health of our children, grandchildren and future generations," Redford said.
After his meeting with the UN General Assembly, Redford told reporters that he plans to be present at the Paris climate conference to continue pressing for immediate action from the international community.
Redford recalled his childhood in Los Angeles during the end of Second World War. He said the city back then was beautiful and had clean air.
He said his beloved city was taken from him when it became polluted and congested with freeways and skyscrapers. He was forced to move, which led him to discover the beauty of nature in Yosemite Park and the Sierra Nevadas.
