Protecting and restoring the natural world is the key to tackling climate change.

Speaking at the Global Climate Action Summit, Harrison Ford has said a ‘looming climate catastrophe’ can only be averted by governments, businesses and individuals across the planet working together to halt and reverse the destruction of natural habitats.

He said practices such as the burning of forests in Sumatra, the Amazon being harvested, the protected lands of tribal people being encroached upon and wetlands being destroyed account for more global emissions than all the trucks and cars in the world combined and mean international climate goals will remain out of reach.

He believes protecting and restoring natural world represents at least 30% of what needs to be done to avoid ‘catastrophic global warming’ and is the only feasible solution for absorbing carbon on a global scale.

The world-renowned actor says natural protections need to be included in all corporate and national climate goals, with set timetables, focused investment, accelerated research, cost reduction targets and better education supporting this.

He adds indigenous communities must be supported and declares people that don’t believe in climate science should not be put into positions of power.

He said: “We are facing what is quickly becoming the greatest moral crisis of our time, that those least responsible will bear the greatest costs.”