David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet 2020

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From Pripyat, a once-thriving Ukrainian city with a population of 50,000 residents, now lies in ruins following the devastating Chernobyl nuclear disaster (April 1986). The desolate landscape serves as a poignant backdrop for Sir David Attenborough’s reflective journey, as he recounts pivotal moments from his life and shares observations on the profound changes that have occurred since his birth in 1926. As we delve into the natural world, Attenborough’s narration is interwoven with footage of diverse ecosystems, revealing the intricate balance between plants and animals.

In the 1930s, when humanity numbered a mere 2.3 billion people, atmospheric carbon levels hovered at around 280 parts per million, while approximately 66% of wilderness remained intact. This delicate equilibrium has been disrupted by human actions, imperiling the planet’s biodiversity. The consequences of this imbalance are stark: if natural habitats continue to fade, humanity will struggle to survive on a ravaged Earth.

As a child, Attenborough was fascinated by fossils, which served as a gateway to understanding Earth’s history – a tale marked by slow and steady change punctuated by mass extinction events. These cataclysmic occurrences have shaped the planet’s evolution over its 4 billion-year history, with five such events recorded in the fossil record. The most recent event, which wiped out the dinosaurs and 75% of all other species, serves as a poignant reminder that life has repeatedly had to rebuild.

In the current era, known as the Holocene, temperatures have remained remarkably stable within a 1-degree range for over 10,000 years. This stability is attributed to the crucial roles played by forests, Phytoplankton, and various ecosystems in locking away carbon dioxide into giant sinks. The fertilizing effects of animal life on soils, the moisture- and oxygen-rich environments provided by jungles around the equator, and the reflective properties of polar ice all contribute to the reliability of seasons. Monsoons bring life-giving rains, allowing for the development of agriculture and human societies.

As we fast-forward through the decades, we find that humanity’s population has swelled to 2.7 billion people by 1954, with atmospheric carbon levels reaching 310 parts per million and wilderness areas dwindling to 64% of their original extent. By 1960, the global population had grown to 3.0 billion, accompanied by a rise in carbon levels to 315 parts per million and further contraction of remaining wilderness to 62%.

Attenborough’s documentary career began in the 1950s with his work for the BBC, during which he explored locations such as the African Serengeti – an endless expanse of grasslands that sustain native animals. If these vast areas were to diminish, the herds would thin out, and the entire ecosystem would collapse.

The Apollo mission’s 1968 revelation of Earth’s isolation and vulnerability serves as a poignant reminder of our planet’s fragility, emphasizing the need for protection and conservation.

As the years ticked by, humanity’s insatiable appetite for progress and development began to take its toll on the delicate balance of the planet. In 1978, a mere 4.3 billion people inhabited Earth, with carbon levels hovering at a relatively modest 335 parts per million. Wilderness areas still sprawled across half of the globe, teeming with life.

However, as documentary filmmaker (character) delved deeper into the heart of Borneo and other remote jungles in search of majestic creatures like orangutans and gorillas, he began to notice a disheartening trend. Wildlife populations were plummeting at an alarming rate, driven by habitat destruction and hunting practices that had become increasingly brutal.

The consequences of humanity’s actions became starkly apparent as the world witnessed the decimation of entire ecosystems. In Central Africa, only 300 gorillas remained in the remote jungles, a far cry from their once-thriving populations. The haunting songs of whales, once a source of inspiration and awe, eventually shifted public opinion, transforming the hunt for these majestic creatures into a crime against nature.

As human life continued to flourish, largely unencumbered by natural predators or diseases, food production became a matter of mere convenience. Yet, in a shocking turn of events, humanity’s insatiable hunger for resources led to the elimination of entire habitats. Within two decades, Borneo’s lush rainforest had shrunk by half, replaced by oil palm monocultures that eradicated its precious biodiversity.

Fast-forward to 1997, and the numbers had shifted dramatically. A staggering 5.9 billion people now inhabited Earth, with carbon levels soaring to 360 parts per million. Wilderness areas had dwindled to a mere 46% of their original size. The consequences of this reckless exploitation were palpable: orangutan populations in Borneo had plummeted by two-thirds.

Meanwhile, the world’s oceans, once untouched by human presence, had become battlegrounds for fishing fleets. These fleets easily located hotspots where fish converged to gather nutrients, only to deplete them with ruthless efficiency. The large fish that had long circulated nutrients throughout the ocean had vanished, leaving behind a barren expanse devoid of life. Corals reefs, once vibrant and teeming with life, turned white as algae died off, replaced by seaweed that transformed the once-pristine ecosystems into desolate wastelands.

As carbon levels continued to soar, the oceans’ natural balance was disrupted, causing temperatures to rise at an unprecedented rate. The Earth had warmed by an average of 1 degree Celsius above its 1930s temperature, with areas like the Arctic and Antarctic experiencing dramatic changes due to melting ice caps. Summer sea ice in the Arctic, once a thriving ecosystem, had diminished by a staggering 40% over just four decades.

The stark reality was clear: humanity’s reckless exploitation of resources, coupled with devastating biodiversity loss, was pushing the planet towards a sixth mass extinction event – one that would unfold over centuries, rather than the hundreds of millennia that characterized previous such events.

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By 2020, the planet had already taken a drastic turn: half of its fertile land was now dedicated to farmland, while freshwater reserves had plummeted by a staggering 80%. The skies were filled with an astonishing 70% domesticated birds, a stark reminder of humanity’s impact on the natural world. Meanwhile, humans themselves weighed in at just one-third the mass of their mammalian counterparts, a sobering statistic that underscored the disparity between our species and the rest of the animal kingdom. Alarmingly, a whopping 60% of animals were raised solely for human consumption, with the remaining 4% comprising the few hardy souls that managed to thrive in this altered ecosystem.

In his stark assessment, Sir David Attenborough likened himself to a “witness” to the impending fate of our planet, should humanity continue on its current trajectory. He painted a grim picture of a future where the Amazon rainforest would wither and die, its once-mighty canopy giving way to a parched savanna that would disrupt global water cycles and accelerate climate change. The Arctic, too, faced the very real possibility of losing all its ice during the summer months, as sunlight was reflected back into space and the planet continued to warm. Coral reefs, meanwhile, teetered on the brink of collapse, while soil degradation threatened to unleash a food crisis of epic proportions.

Yet Attenborough remained resolute in his message: there is still time to act, to reverse course and chart a new path towards sustainability. He posited that by rewilding our planet, we could restore balance to its ecosystems and stave off the impending mass extinction event that threatens to engulf us all. To achieve this, he argued, we must prioritize biodiversity, recognizing it as the very key to unlocking a more stable future.