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flows into the salt water of the oceans.

Greenland's ice contains 20%

of the freshwater of the whole planet.

If it melts,

sea levels will rise by nearly 7 meters.

But there is no industry here.

Greenland's ice sheet suffers

from greenhouse gases

emitted elsewhere on Earth.

Our ecosystem doesn't have borders.

Wherever we are,

our actions have repercussions

on the whole Earth.

Our planet's atmosphere

is an indivisible whole.

It is an asset we share.

In Greenland,

lakes are appearing on the landscape.

The ice cap is melting at a speed

even the most pessimistic scientists

did not envision 10 years ago.

More and more of these glacier-fed

rivers are merging together

and burrowing though the surface.

It was thought the water would freeze

in the depths of the ice.

On the contrary,

it flows under the ice,

carrying the ice sheet into the sea,

where it breaks into icebergs.

As the freshwater

of Greenland's ice sheet

seeps into the salt water of the oceans,

low-lying lands around the globe

are threatened.

Sea levels are rising.

Water expanding as it gets warmer

caused, in the 20th century alone,

a rise of 20 centimeters.

Everything becomes unstable.

Coral reefs are extremely sensitive

to the slightest change

in water temperature.

They are an essential link

in the chain of species.

In the atmosphere, major wind streams

are changing direction.

Rain cycles are altered.

The geography of climates is modified.

The inhabitants of low-lying islands,

here in the Maldives, for example,

are on the front line.

They are increasingly concerned.

Some are already looking for new,

more hospitable lands.

If sea levels continue to rise

faster and faster,

what will major cities like Tokyo,

the world's most populous city, do?

Every year, scientists' predictions

become more alarming.

lives on coastal plains.

stand on a coastline or river estuary.

As the seas rise,

salt will invade the water table,

depriving inhabitants

of drinking water.

Migratory phenomena are inevitable.

The only uncertainty

concerns their scale.

In Africa,

Mount Kilimanjaro is unrecognizable.

In summer,

the rivers no longer flow.

Local peoples are affected

by the lack of water.

Even on the world's highest peaks,

in the heart of the Himalayas,

eternal snows and glaciers

are receding.

Yet these glaciers play

an essential role in the water cycle.

They trap the water

from the monsoons as ice

and release it in the summer

when the snows melt.

The Himalayan glaciers are the source

of all the great Asian rivers,

the Indus, Ganges,

Mekong, Yangtze Kiang...

for drinking water

and to irrigate their crops,

as in Bangladesh.

On the delta

of the Ganges and Brahmaputra,

Bangladesh is directly affected

by phenomena occurring in the Himalayas

and at sea level.

This is one of the most populous

and poorest countries in the world.

It is already hit by global warming.

The combined impact of increasingly

dramatic floods and hurricanes

could make

a third of its land mass disappear.

When populations are subjected

to these devastating phenomena,

they eventually move away.

Wealthy countries will not be spared.

Droughts are occurring

all over the planet.

In Australia,

half of farmland is already affected.

We are in the process of compromising

the climatic balance

that has allowed us to develop

over 12,000 years.

More and more wildfires

encroach on major cities.

In turn,

they exacerbate global warming.

As the trees burn,

they release carbon dioxide.

The system that controls our climate

has been severely disrupted.

The elements on which it relies

have been disrupted.

The clock of climate change is ticking

in these magnificent landscapes.

Here in Siberia,

and elsewhere across the globe,

it is so cold

that the ground is constantly frozen.

It's known as permafrost.

Under its surface

lies a climatic time-bomb.

Methane,

a greenhouse gas 20 times

more powerful than carbon dioxide.

If the permafrost melts,

the methane releases would cause

the greenhouse effect

to race out of control

with consequences no one can predict.

We would literally

be in unknown territory.

Humanity has no more than 10 years

to reverse the trend

and avoid

crossing into this territory...

Life on Earth

as we have never known it.

We have created phenomena

we cannot control.

Since our origins,

water, air and forms of life

are intimately linked.

But recently

we have broken those links.

Let's face the facts.

We must believe what we know.

All we have just seen is a reflection

of human behavior.

We have shaped the Earth in our image.

We have very little time to change.

How can this century carry the burden

of 9 billion human beings

if we refuse to be called to account

for everything we alone have done?

consumes 80% of its resources

The world spends

than on aid to developing countries

because of dirty drinking water

have no access to safe drinking water

Nearly 1 billion people are going hungry

Over 50% of grain

traded around the world

is used for animal feed or biofuels

has suffered long-term damage

Every year,

in 3 are threatened with extinction

Species are dying out at a rhythm

Three quarters of fishing grounds

are exhausted,

depleted or in dangerous decline

The average temperature

of the last 15 years

has been the highest ever recorded

The ice cap is 40% thinner

than 40 years ago

There may be at least 200 million

climate refugees by 2050

The cost of our actions is high.

Others pay the price

without having been actively involved.

I have seen refugee camps

as big as cities,

sprawling in the desert.

How many men,

women and children

will be left by the wayside tomorrow?

Must we always build walls

to break the chain of human solidarity,

separate peoples

and protect the happiness of some

from others' misery?

It's too late to be a pessimist.

I know that a single human

can knock down every wall.

It's too late to be a pessimist.

Worldwide,

Never has learning been given

to so many human beings.

Everyone, from richest to poorest,

can make a contribution.

Lesotho,

one of the world's poorest countries,

is proportionally the one that invests

most in its people's education.

Qatar, one of the richest states,

has opened up to the best universities.

Culture, education,

research and innovation

are inexhaustible resources.

In the face of misery and suffering,

millions of NGOs prove that solidarity

between peoples is stronger

than the selfishness of nations.

In Bangladesh,

a man thought the unthinkable

and founded a bank

that lends only to the poor.

In 30 years, it has changed

the lives of 150 million people.

Antarctica is a continent

with immense natural resources

that no country can claim for itself,

a natural reserve

devoted to peace and science.

A treaty signed by 49 states

has made it a treasure

shared by all humanity.

It's too late to be a pessimist.

Governments have acted to protect

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