A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

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billion, the carbon in the atmosphere went from 335 parts per million to 415 parts per million and the remaining wilderness went from 55% to a mere 35%. This is his witness statement of the changes, a simple and accessible explanation why we should care, and ideas and hopes for us, humans, to find a way out of the disaster we are bringing upon ourselves.

No one in my lifetime has done more to educate the public on the miraculous workings of the natural world and as such, no one is a more potent voice about the urgency with which we must address what it is our species has done to this natural marvel in the last century. However, Attenborough describes actions which could prevent these effects and combat climate change and biodiversity loss. He makes examples of how our natural world has suffered due to us humans, but also gives hope for the future of practical ways in which to reverse the damage we have done to our planet.Soon, we are in 1954, after Sir Attenborough's studies of natural sciences at university and after him doing his national service (it was still a thing back then) in the Royal Navy. There are incredible things being done now that need to be brought to the international table and made real and there is no better Cassandra for this issue than the most famous naturalist in the world. Katherine May thoughtfully shows us how to come through these times with the wisdom of knowing that, like the seasons, our winters and summers are the ebb and flow of life. Attenborough’s contention is that, by seeking to dominate nature in such a way, we have destroyed the intricate network that stabilized our climate. To sum it up, it is a fascinating, emotive, rewarding, shocking, thought provoking and informative read, that is far more terrifying a read than any horror story I have read.

In 1971, he travelled to South-East Asia, New Guinea and other places, and the world could no longer ignore the fact that nature wasn't indestructible, no matter your religious beliefs (very much a thing back then, refusing to accept that nature was as finite as everything else). Attenborough’s long life over which these changes have been ever-accelerating is really less than a blink on a planetary life scale — and yet life as we know it is now teetering on a brink, rushing there with the speed that, while much slower that dinosaur-doom Chicxulub asteroid, is proceeding scarily fast, to the point where what we leave to generations to come — climate, biodiversity, ability of the planet to sustain our ever-expanding numbers — is really uncertain. Perhaps not surprisingly they revolve to a certain degree around regenerating nature, or re-wilding it, and I think he's got a point. I can't imagine the changes he has seen up close, the senseless destruction of our planet becoming ever more clear with each documentary series.As depressing as it may all appear to be, it is heartening to note that there have been progress made in certain sectors or countries, with notable impact in the targeted areas. Love his voice and these dire warnings sure make one aware of how much we have destroyed and where exactly we are going if things don't start changing soon. A female gorilla placed her hand on his head and then proceeded to examine his teeth as two infant gorillas played with his boot shoelaces.

This advice comes from someone who has spent a lifetime in nature and is dreadfully worried about the consequences. A Life On Our Planet: My Witness Statement and Vision for the Future is David's witness statement, reflecting on his remarkable career exploring and documenting the natural world, and the decline of the planet's environment and biodiversity he's observed first-hand in that time. This is a must-read book for environmentalists or anyone who loves to read books about our planet and its biodiversity. An award-winning natural historian shares his knowledge he acquired during his last 93 years of life through this book.His first job - after Cambridge University and two years in the Royal Navy - was at a London publishing house. Some of the scientific solutions he proposes need further development, but a lot of the technology already exists. I am doing Attenborough a disservice by reducing this book to statistics, no matter how powerful they may be. We are cautioned that some reversal strategies will be difficult to implement, but reminded that it is the sum of all the parts that count.