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Chris Packham and Hamza Yassin urge young people to engage with climate crisis

BBC Hamza Yassin and Chris PackhamBBC
Hamza Yassin and Chris Packham want young people to register to vote in the next election

Naturalists Chris Packham and Hamza Yassin have urged young people to engage with the climate crisis "before it is too late".

The TV presenters said climate change was "the most important issue facing all of humanity".

They encouraged young people watching them speak at The Latitude Festival in Suffolk to register to vote.

"The parties' manifestos will have pledges to deal with climate breakdown," Packham said.

"If you don't look at them you're neglecting your future," added the BBC Springwatch presenter, as he warned the situation was "becoming critical".

Cad Taylor, Chris Packham and Hamza Yassin
The pair spoke to BBC journalist Cad Taylor before they took to the stage at Latitude Festival

The wildlife experts are part of an initiative called the Schools Climate Assembly, which aims to educate children and teenagers about climate breakdown.

Speaking to Radio Suffolk before they took to the stage, Strictly Come Dancing winner and wildlife cameraman Yassin said he wanted to spark an interest in the next generation about the natural world.

By fuelling their interest in the planet, young people will hopefully be inspired to protect it, he said.

BBC/Remarkable Television Hamza Yassin with his cameraBBC/Remarkable Television
Yassin is a wildlife cameraman as well as a children's TV presenter, specialising in nature shows

"If we keep going the way we are, the world will keep on revolving, just without us in it. We are the ones causing the issues so why don't we start sorting it out?

"We've given our grandparents the chance, we've given our parents the chance, but now it is our chance. Jump before you get pushed. Go out there and make a difference before you have to, because then at least you have a choice."

Yassin talking to young children
Yassin spoke to young children about the environment and their futures after his talk

Packham said young people needed to start preparing for a life "very different to ours" and they should "take relevant action so they can adapt and make their lives liveable in the future".

They should still have hope for the future because we still have the chance to put things right, he added.

Schools Climate Assembly
The Schools Climate Assembly arranged to have the TV presenters at the festival to inspire the younger generation

"We have a whole toolkit of ways we can stop the rot. We know we need to move away from industrial agriculture and towards a more plant-based diet. We know we need to get rid of fossil fuels and invest in renewables.

"We can restore and repair habitats and reintroduce species. We have the capacity to do this, but we are leaving it very late. What we want is for these changes to roll out more broadly and rapidly before it is too late."

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