Book Review: A Life on Our Planet
I don’t think I’ve ever read a non-fiction book with quite so much gusto. I could hardly put this book down - I suppose it helped that I had Sir David Attenborough’s voice in my head as though he were reading it. In a nutshell, I loved this book.
We open with Attenborough’s witness statement where he takes us on a journey of his life in the natural world and how, being a producer with the BBC, he was able to commission some of the most groundbreaking programmes about the natural world, including Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Mammals - to name a few. His work brought the wonder of nature, from the Amazonian rainforests to the freezing desert of Antarctica, to our television screen at home. However, as wonderful as it was - there was trouble brewing on the horizon.
As the 20th century went on, so did the growth of the human population, but to the detriment of the wilderness. As of 2020, only 35% of the natural wilderness remains. Things are looking bleak in his witness statement, is there a way for us to turn back or has the damage been done? Polar Icecaps are melting at an unprecedented rate and the Amazon rainforest is shrinking faster and faster. Wildfires, drought, torrential flooding and overfishing are just a few of the issues attributed to climate change and human error, that are touched upon. Although Attenbrough’s tone of voice is gentle but firm, it cannot hide how bad the situation is.
That being said, it is not all doom and gloom. The wonderful thing about David Attenborough is his resounding hope for mankind. He knows we can do it, he knows that we can save the planet before it is too late. The book mentions some fantastic projects that are happening right now, programs, technology and design ideas are being developed in universities, startups and governments around the world. We just need to push ourselves a little more.
A really great read and I would highly recommend it. There are some great illustrations of sealife, photographs of Attenbrough’s life, and behind-the-scenes images from all the television programs he has done. He has a life many could only dream of.