We filmed 650 species, and we traveled one and a half million miles. The trick is to raise the standard of living around the world without increasing our impact on that world. A sixth mass extinction event is well underway. Millions of people rendered homeless. Even when people are telling that now is the time to make a change, it was still time to do that many years ago. Our Planet | How to save our planet And it lived about 180 million years ago. Life had no option but to rebuild. visual of featureless humans walking on color-coded pathways, which looks like a commercial for pain-relief medication and to which the film returns constantly, to laughable effect. David Attenborough investigates the age of an elephant bird's egg that he has discovered. Dr. Matt Hayward is Associate Professor of Conservation Biology in the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. [Attenborough on video] Climbing over the tightly-packed bodies is the only way across the crowd. The living world cant operate without a healthy ocean and neither can we. Below the line are a multitude of lifeforms. We have pursued animals to extinction many times in our history, but now that it was visible, it was no longer acceptable. Fishing is worlds greatest wild harvest. Under Title 17 U.S.C. Nationalism must end we need to recognize that we are all inhabitants of this planet and humanity will be devastated unless we address climate change and the biodiversity crisis. We just have to do what nature has always done. Theyre places in which evolutions talent for design soars. A meteorite impact triggered a catastrophic change in the earths conditions. Its happened in my lifetime. It was an astonishing vision of a completely unknown world, a world that had existed since the beginning of time. We were apart from the rest of life on earth, living a different kind of life. And because we would be then dedicated to raising plants, we could increase the yield of this land substantially. Sir David Attenborough, who will present a new series about nature across the Uk an Ireland for the BBC. If we do things that are unsustainable, the damage accumulates ultimately to a point where the whole system collapses. Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features. David Attenborough's breathtaking journey through Africa. David Attenborough has seen more of the natural world than any other. When I filmed with the mountain gorillas, there were only 300 left in a remote jungle in Central Africa. Watch clips from the programmes being broadcast to celebrate David Attenborough's 90th. To restore stability to our planet, we must restore its biodiversity. In this future, we discover ways to benefit from our land that help, rather than hinder, wilderness. Walking through the ruins of a school evacuated after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown (perhaps the most devastating environmental impact on the planet), Attenborough illustrates that all is not lost nature can bounce back if we give it a chance. A powerful shared conscience had suddenly appeared. Mountains 58 mins Humans like to think that once they have climbed a mountain, they have somehow conquered it. Speech-to-Text live streaming for live captions, powered by the worlds leading speech recognition API. The truth is, with or without us, the natural world will rebuild. A few days after that and theyre gone over the horizon. 1978 WORLD POPULATION: 4.3 BILLION CARBON IN ATMOSPHERE: 335 PARTS PER MILLION REMAINING WILDERNESS: 55%. Its finite. The BBC has announced new sequels to Planet Earth and Frozen Planet, and he says he was . 75% of all species were wiped out. Theyd never seen sloths before. and the commentary has organic flow . Over time, I began to learn something about the earths evolutionary history. Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (2021) - IMDb And we were responsible. Each generation able to develop and progress only because the living world could be relied upon to deliver us the conditions we needed. As a result, the average global temperature today is one degree Celsius warmer than it was when I was born. And I remember very well that first shot. [Attenborough] Animals that had been viewed as little more than a source of oil and meat became personalities. Your life on earth . People were coming to care for the natural world. Section 107, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The removal of people from this area has seen forest take over the town, and rare wildlife has returned. They had never seen the center of New Guinea before. It also emphasizes that it's not about taking away our "lives" to save the earth, but to change those small things in the everyday life, each and every person and family, to make a huge difference together. An interview with David Attenborough - National Geographic The future was going to be exciting. [Attenborough] By the end of the century, Borneos rainforest had been reduced by half. Its an achingly intricate labor. The global temperature has not wavered over this period by more than plus or minus one degree Celsius, until now. So, what do we do? Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Planet Earth (TV Mini Series 2006) - IMDb Nature is resilient, if humanitys foot is removed from its throat. However, this future does not need to eventuate we can avert this disaster if we want to, and Attenborough implores us to. Our burning of fossil fuels, our destruction of nature, our approach to industry, construction and learning, are releasing carbon into the atmosphere at an unprecedented pace and scale. It scares me. Mistakes. In an impassioned speech to leaders, the naturalist and COP26 people's . Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet Review: A Dire Warning, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/movies/breaking-boundaries-the-science-of-our-planet-review.html, A scene from the documentary Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet.. A story of global decline during a single lifetime. [wildebeest snorting] For every single predator on the Serengeti, there are more than 100 prey animals. That may sound impossible, but there are ways in which we can do this. [snorting] Whenever we choose a piece of meat, we too are unwittingly demanding a huge expanse of space. This truth defined the life we led in our pre-history, the time before farming and civilization. Its covered with small family-run farms with no room for expansion. All that evolution undone. When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. I feel free. Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster and naturalist. Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a naturalist and broadcaster, who is most well-known for writing and presenting the nine "Life" series, produced in conjunction with BBC's Natural History Unit. We cut down over 15 billion trees each year. By the time Attenborough filmed his Zoo Quest series in 1954, 64% of the planet was wilderness. [whales singing] [whales continue singing]. Its all happened within the last 2,000 years or so. Many of the millions of species in the forest exist in small numbers. Create a better, more engaging experience for every student. On the fifth day of this year, I found myself sitting in the living room of the legendary Sir David Attenborough, drinking coffee and . In the northern regions, the temperatures would lift in March, triggering spring, and stay high until they dipped in October and brought about autumn. Did that number stop rising and start to drop, as a result of commitments made here? See related: Biologists warn extinction denial is the latest anti-science conspiracy theory. As hydropower dams quell the Mekongs life force, what are the costs. Above, very few. It was extraordinary that you could see what a man out in space could see as he saw it at the same time. It triggered an environmental catastrophe that had an impact across Europe. Your email address will not be published. As we improve our approach to farming, well start to reverse the land-grab that weve been pursuing ever since we began to farm, which is essential because we have an urgent need for all that free land. The very thing that weve removed. The green sea turtle is one of the largest and most widespread of all the marine turtles. All this was absolutely clear, it was only just stopped being a working quarry. In the end, after a lifetimes exploration of the living world, Im certain of one thing. Like "For life to truly thrive on this planet, there must be immense biodiversity. And you could happily retire. [Attenborough] By working hard to raise people out of poverty, giving all access to healthcare, and enabling girls in particular to stay in school as long as possible, we can make it peak sooner and at a lower level. His interactions with the habituated troop of a species with only 300 individuals remaining, remain unforgettable. Um and, in a way, I wish I wasnt involved in this struggle. It was going to bring everything we had ever dreamed of. [protester in English] Hello, Boctok. A century ago, more than three quarters of Costa Rica was covered with forest. Markiplier To Star In, Direct Horror Film 'Iron Lung' From His Own It focuses on nine planetary thresholds, outlined by the Swedish scientist and environmental science professor Johan Rockstrom, which, if exceeded, will make life on Earth no longer sustainable. The pace of progress was unlike anything to be found in the fossil record. Again, the two features work together. The evidence is all around. One of the greatest films ever made, The Sorrow and The Pity is a contribution to history, to social psychology, to anthropology, and to art. . We now have the opportunity to create the perfect home for ourselves, and restore the rich, healthy, and wonderful world that we inherited. You can be forgiven for thinking that these plains are endless when they could swallow up such a herd. The Holocene was our Garden of Eden. And the songs have distinct themes and variations which evolve over time. And powerful evidence that however grave our mistakes, nature will ultimately overcome them. Top 5 David Attenborough Moments | BBC Earth - YouTube Running time: 1 hour 13 minutes. We must use this opportunity to create a more equal world and our motivation should not be fear, but hope. At the age of 92, Attenborough remains committed to that mission. David Attenborough: (00:01) New David Attenborough series about UK and Ireland likely to be his All available episodes' scripts of Tv Show Planet Earth II . Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? They are named so for the green colour of their fat and connective tissues. And to begin with, it was quite easy. [Attenborough] It felt that nothing would limit our progress. Follow him @davidattenborough. And the idea could be passed from one generation to the next. Today, those whove done the least to cause this problem, are being the hardest hit. And yet, this is what weve been turning this dizzying diversity into. Only when billions of different individual organisms make the most of every resource and opportunity they encounter, and millions of species lead lives that . Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, An hour-long episode will actually only take him about two hours to record, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. David Attenborough and scientist Johan Rockstrm examine Earth's biodiversity collapse and how this crisis can still be averted. [young Attenborough] We heard a crashing in the branches ahead. Theres a chance for us to make amends, to complete our journey of development, manage our impact, and once again become a species in balance with nature. People had never seen pangolins before on television. Sitting on the edge of the Sahara, and cabled directly into southern Europe, Morocco could be an exporter of solar energy by 2050. This most pristine and distant of ecosystems is headed for disaster. But if you get in a helicopter, you see that that is a strip about half a mile wide. We account for over one-third of the weight of mammals on earth. Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet is a documentary about the end of the world. This was a world of stability humanitys Garden of Eden that led to the Agricultural Revolution and our ability to expand our populations and distribution. 2030s. The measure that greatly determines global temperature and the changes in that one number is the clearest way to chart our own story, for it defines our relationship with our world. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. It was a very different world back then. At first, they caught plenty of fish in their nets. We are ultimately bound by and defined by the resources on this planet.. 75% of all species were wiped out. A monoculture of oil palm. In Asia, the winds would create the monsoon on cue. Lions are the second largest of the'big cats' after the tiger and arethe most social, with related females living together in prides and males forming coalitions. Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet. Just imagine that. When you first see it, you think perhaps that its beautiful, and suddenly you realize its tragic. In 1998, a Blue Planet film crew stumbled on an event little known at the time. [Attenborough] We are facing nothing less than the collapse of the living world. COP26: 'Not fear, but hope' - Attenborough speech in full And the quickest and most effective way to do that is for us to change our diet. I am David Attenborough, and I am 93. In 2002 he was named among the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide poll for the BBC. Throughout the north, frozen soils thaw, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide, accelerating the rate of climate change dramatically. One of the extraordinary things about it was that the world could actually watch it as it happened. If we continue on our current course, the damage that has been the defining feature of my lifetime will be eclipsed by the damage coming in the next. It is about empowering people.". Theres every reason to believe that the answer can be yes. The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. But it now appeared this was only because the ocean was absorbing much of the excess heat, masking our impact. You could fly for hours over the untouched wilderness. Indoors, within cities. Its only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. In 2020, world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough released a new film - "A Life on Our Planet" - which he calls his "witness statement" for the environment. The pace of change was getting faster and faster. Weve come this far because we are the smartest creatures that have ever lived. Imagine if we phase out fossil fuels and run our world on the eternal energies of nature too. Speaker 7: (05:55) How Sir David Attenborough puts a script together for Planet Earth 2 Two impassioned fans talk about their hero. Required fields are marked *. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Duration: 2:51 Im talking about the loss of our planets wild places, its biodiversity. By the time Attenborough had reached his 50s, the human population had doubled from its size when he was born. A century from now, our planet could be a wild place again. We had very little understanding of how the living world actually worked. The Second World War was over, technology was making our lives easier. It took a visionary scientist, Bernhard Grzimek, to explain that this wasnt true. Its hard to concentrate on land composition and vanishing biodiversity amid the barrage of bizarre visual effects and histrionic music. Episode 6 of 6. When fish stocks began to reduce, the Palauans responded by restricting fishing practices and banning fishing entirely from many areas. My first visit to East Africa was in 1960. You can see it. In the 30 years since the evacuation of Chernobyl, the wild has reclaimed the space. we would keep consuming the earth until we had used it up. Um, and I certainly would feel very guilty if I saw what the problems are and decided to ignore them.