Theo James calls on leaders to act on ‘escalating injustice’ for refugees at Cop

The Gentlemen prima Theo James has called connected satellite leaders to enactment connected “escalating injustice” for refugees arsenic a effect of clime alteration astatine the Cop29 clime acme successful Azerbaijan.

James, whose gramps was a exile who fled Greece for Syria during the Second World War, spoke astir his sojourn to Mauritania earlier this year, wherever helium said refugees successful the westbound of the state had “asked maine to personally from them, ‘urge satellite leaders astatine Cop to instrumentality action’.”

He was speaking astatine the motorboat of the UN exile bureau (UNHCR) Refugees For Climate Action group, which volition spot 8 refugees travel unneurotic to “reinforce the practice of displaced communities successful the planetary clime alteration debate”.

James said his grandfather’s communicative had “motivated” him to enactment the cause.

Speaking astatine the summit, the 39-year-old said: “Here astatine Cop, I privation to gully attraction to the concerns of refugees for clime action, due to the fact that I’ve seen that the radical who lend the slightest successful presumption of c emissions are often the hardest deed by the clime crisis, which is insanity.

“I cognize it’s thing that you tin accidental successful a property conference, but the world of it is ridiculous.

“This is simply a new, relatively, and escalating injustice, arsenic we’ve heard of the 120 cardinal radical forcibly displaced astir the world, 90 cardinal of them are facing precocious to utmost clime alteration impacts.

“That’s wherefore much assistance is needed now, radical displaced by impacts of clime alteration and struggle request protection, and they request assistance from clime financing, specifically, the radical I met successful Mauritania and refugees similar them are urging our leaders to listen.”

He said that refugees request enactment “now”, with galore having to fly their homes owed to war, they are being “pushed to the limits due to the fact that of clime alteration and deficiency of resources”.

“There’s obscurity near for them to go,” helium said. “We person to enactment present to reverse these trends.”

James went connected to accidental “climate shocks are predominant and getting much frequent” successful Mauritania causing “seasonal floods followed by crippling droughts and utmost heat”.

Speaking astir the radical helium met connected his travel to the African country, helium added: “They told maine astir however beingness was becoming wholly untenable successful the desert, and they asked maine to, personally from them, ‘urge satellite leaders astatine Cop to instrumentality action’, and they’re the champion radical to bash truthful due to the fact that they are being affected connected the crushed themselves.

James recalled gathering a pistillate “who had to fly her location successful Mali due to the fact that of the warring that had ripped done the country”.

“She told maine that the adust play had extended from 3 to 9 months of the year, and she had seen that hap successful the past 5 years, leaving the wells bare and parents frantic astir however their children are going to survive.

“I asked her what she wanted to accidental to radical present astatine Cop and she said, ‘tell them we’re thirsty, archer them we don’t person capable h2o for ourselves and our children, our cattle and our vegetables, we cannot past without water’.”

The actor, who has appeared successful the Divergent movie trilogy, The Time Traveller’s Wife and The White Lotus, said the existent concern for refugees had shown him “how abbreviated our corporate memories are” successful remembering the stories of radical similar his grandfather.

He added: “One of the reasons I americium motivated to enactment this cause, specifically is due to the fact that of my ain household history.

“My gramps was a exile who fled the Nazi concern of Greece and recovered harmless haven successful Syria during the Second World War.

“Later, helium joined the UN exile programme erstwhile it was successful its infancy, moving arsenic a doc successful Gothenburg, administering vaccines to displaced radical of occidental Europe.

“And I conjecture that showed maine however abbreviated our corporate memories are successful presumption of, you cognize erstwhile radical are displaced, it was lone precise precocious that Europeans were being forced to fly themselves.

“My household past motivated maine to go progressive with the UNHCR, and I’ve been privileged to conscionable incredibly inspiring refugees.”

The UN talks, which instrumentality spot successful Azerbaijan until November 22 and are looking astatine securing clime concern for low-income countries, travel successful the aftermath of devastating upwind extremes.

There person been warnings that 2024 is connected way to beryllium different record-hot twelvemonth and the satellite is heading for a “catastrophic” 3.1C of warming connected existent policies.