Theo James has warned people of the "precarious" state of the world after a visit to Mauritania where he saw the impact of climate change.
The 39-year-old actor - who has recently been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency - spent time on his strip with refugees from Mali who escape violence and insecurity but now find themselves struggling with climate change and the Sahel region's humanitarian crisis.
The 'White Lotus' star - whose grandfather was a refugee - will be part of the UN's Climate Change Conference (COP29), and he was moved by his experiences in Mauritania, which is home to over 262,000 refugees.
He said: "While we're all affected by climate change, it's the people least responsible who are bearing the heaviest burden.
"This past week, I’ve had the privilege of hearing from Malian refugees, like Momo, the 84-year-old community leader at Mbera camp, who told me, ‘The forest speaks a lot even if it is mute. The world must understand that the tree is suffering, that the tree cries out.'
"And with Mariama Walet Almahdi, a Malian refugee who said, 'Tell them we are thirsty, tell them we don’t have enough water for ourselves, our children, our cattle, our vegetables—we cannot survive.' "
He met with refugees and the communities that have taken them in, seeing first hand the situations they are in, with droughts in the area now extending for eight to nine months - a huge increase on the previous three to four months.
Theo also saw many of the refugees leading local initiatives to benefit them and their communities, including an all-volunteer refugee fire brigade tackling bushfires.
He added: “Their strength in the face of such overwhelming challenges drives my commitment to ensure their voices are heard.
"But it’s not enough to just listen, the situation is precarious, and action needs to happen, and it needs to happen now. These communities deserve more than just our attention; they need a seat at the table.
"That’s why I’m heading to COP29—to stand alongside them and push for real, urgent change."
UNHCR is heading to COP29 to advocate on behalf of refugees, displaced people, and their hosts, who are being hit the hardest by the impacts of climate change and are not getting the support they need.
