David Attenborough is an obvious national treasure. With his career spanning nearly 70 years it’s easy to see why. He has shown us the wonders of the natural world; from the poles, to depths of the sea, from the very big to the very small. Through him we have been able to explore all the beauty and magic of life on our planet.
A Life on Our Planet
“What we are shown will become a global reality as a consequence of humanity’s impact on nature.”
His latest film; ‘A Life on Our Planet’ takes a slightly different route. Where the message is very clear. We have to save Our Planet! This film is Attenborough’s witness statement for the natural world. Drawing our attention to the human impact on nature and his hopes for future generations.
The film starts amidst the devastation left after Chernobyl, the abandoned buildings of the evacuated city, the textbooks on desks left open, homes left empty. This is the reality of human error, a very obvious consequence of mistakes. What we are shown will become a global reality as a consequence of humanity’s impact on nature.
We are taken on a journey through his life and the environmental impact and changes that have occurred in his lifetime. Starting as a boy, and his love for fossils and the start of his love for natural history. Within rocks we can see the changes of life on this planet including the extinction of the dinosaurs and the planet’s miraculous recovery that has allowed for the planet as we know it; our garden of Eden.
Our Garden of Eden
Our garden of Eden is reliant upon a balance between ecosystems. The fish in the sea, the wildebeest on the plains, and the ice sheets in the arctic. All of which are dependent upon one another. The seasons are an essential part of maintaining this balance. The dependable seasons and rhythms of the planet are what became exploited by humans through farming. Humans are not the strongest, nor are we the fastest, but we have intelligence, and we can adapt and change based upon a single idea that can be passed quickly through generations. We could make food on demand. We disturbed and disrupted the natural balance of the planet.
Attenborough took us through his accomplishments and travels around the globe, and how he has seen the world around him change. The decline in whale populations as a result of hunting and the use of TV to stir up support to ban whaling; the endangerment of the gorilla population due to poaching; the overfishing of the seas and the death of coral reefs; deforestation; melting of icecaps. All of which are a result of human activity and exploitation.
The beauty of the natural world
Like all of David Attenborough’s films, we get to witness the amazing imagery and photography that adds to the spectacular documentaries which made us all fall in love with him and the planet. This documentary is no different. Instead of only being shown the beauty in nature, we are shown the destruction humans have left behind. The ghostly white and tragically beautiful corals that have replaced the once strikingly colourful coral reefs which were teeming with life. Linear and meticulously organised fields of monocrops. The division between the wild jungles of Borneo neighbouring the regimented rows of oil palm. The lone orangutan gripping to the sole remaining tree among the destroyed forest. We are able to see the effect of human control and of our attempt to domesticate and tame the wild.
“The film is not all doom and gloom, and there is still hope that there are numerous things that we can do to help protect our planet that we call home.”
This film is able to highlight the devastation of climate change within one lifetime. The rapid changes that he has witnessed, it is impossible to ignore that the planet is not what it once was. At each stage of his life, we are shown staggering statistics to drive home the important changes that have been happening before our eyes. The population increasing, the carbon in the atmosphere increasing, and the wild spaces decreasing. It is hard to not be moved by Attenborough’s plea to act and change the way we treat the planet. As an audience member you will be moved by his clear display of despair for the planet that he cares so greatly for, and that has given him such a wonderful life. The film is not all doom and gloom, and there is still hope that there are numerous things that we can do to help protect our planet that we call home.
A message of hope
Attenborough shows us where initiatives have been introduced and how they have worked! The solar farms in Morocco, the reforestation in Costa Rica, the no fishing zones. How if we were to implement these initiatives globally and live more sustainably we have the power to protect the planet that we have and stop it getting worse and making it uninhabitable. Ultimately, nothing can be achieved without all countries and nations working together. By working together as a united front against climate change we have the power to save our planet.
After the credits, we were treated to a conversation between David Attenborough and Michael Palin. They spoke about their lives, travel, their favourite destinations, the most bizarre places they have been recognised. Their conversation however ended on a more sombre note – the reality of the climate crisis and Attenborough explaining that, with all the things that he’s seen, he feels an obligation to leave this witness statement. This film is one of the most important you will see, and have seen. To draw your attention to the realities of climate change and of global warming. To drive home the impact that human beings have had on nature, but, with a dose of optimism and hope for the future, we have the chance to save all ‘Life of Our Planet’.
Cerys Bell
Featured Image courtesy of Eutah Mizushima on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.