Climate change. Across the globe, the pressures faced by the natural world are becoming ever harder to solve because of our growing demand for nature's resources. Benefits of the Movie While in a country like the United Kingdom, where some very strong laws on how to reduce pollution, we do have to realise we're no longer a major industrial country. They affect the immune system and they also cause reproductive impairment. The Five Steps to Help Save Our Planet outlined by Mr. Attenborough are: 1. We're seeing already that due to soil degradation and changes in the Earth's climate, food production in some parts of the world is going down. He is a former senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet: Directed by Alastair Fothergill, Jonathan Hughes, Keith Scholey. "[24] Writing in The Independent, Lucy Jones stated that the most important aspect of the series, which set it apart from other nature documentaries of its type, was the depictions of the harsh realities of global warming, mass species extinction and environmental degradation which were woven into the narration that accompanied the breathtaking scenes and imagery, but she also argues it did not go far enough and should have been more radical given current ecological crises. Restore Biodiversity. 3) Similarities between the world and the sealed petri dish are that: we are all alive (bacteria and human beings); in the process of living we create waste products that are toxic to us and harmful to the environment; we share the inability to control our populations; neither bacteria nor homo sapiens can our greed in grabbing more than our share of the available resources. For much of humanitys ancient history, that number bounced wildly between 180 and 300, and so too did global temperatures. Over 50% has now been transformed into agricultural landscapes. And that is scary. Last year, 2019, it was just over 100 tonnes of scales. We are already in trouble. Speaker 8: (06:03) Bearing Witness to make a statement acknowledging that something exists or is true; often it refers to stating what other people need to hear but what they dont want to hear. The problem is, as you remove more and more of the adult fish, particularly the larger sized fish, you end up with fewer and fewer of the eggs and the fry, and there's simply not enough for the population to recover. Documentary series focusing on the breadth of the diversity of habitats around the world, from the remote Arctic wilderness and mysterious deep oceans to the vast landscapes of Africa and diverse jungles of South America. It is sometimes called bearing witness. An example of (1) occurs in the New Testament when Jesus tells his disciples to bear witness about him and their faith. However, the supply is becoming increasingly unpredictable for all manner of species. the ridges extend for 28,000 miles, the largest mountain chain on Earth. The critical thing is that there is now enough land that's already been cleared to sustain the levels of production that we need. In particular, she says the program should have called out those responsible for this ecocide. It's been called the escalator to extinction, and we see it all around the globe. Globally, there was a shock. "[19] Ben Travers of Indie Wire gave out an overall B+ for the series, and claims that the series ruthlessly contrasts the world's natural wonders with the environmental crisis killing them off, he wrote "Their deaths are a warning for the darkness underlying all of Our Planet, a nature docuseries no longer content with passive commentary. This film poses questions that citizens must answer about the most serious and pressing existential threat to humankind. But you have to choose whether you want to extract a sustainable, modest catch or have a big catch for a short term. This has contributed to global warming, acidification of the oceans, and other environmental problems. Ecologists called this a scramble competition every bacterium for itself! My research is showing that when humans convert habitat, there's also something else at play. They have shot previously extinct butterflies, soaring white-tailed eagles and the lesser spotted David Attenborough. The narrator says FOR OVER 65 YEARS, SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH HAS BEEN. From the makers of "Planet Earth," and narrated by Emmy and BAFTA winner Sir David Attenborough. Increasingly, I feel it's not just about our current lifestyle, but about the education of our children on the way nature works. So I watched it go to six billion around 2000 or so, and I'm now probably going to see it actually reach, you know, nine billion in my lifetime, which is pretty startling. A RESTful API to access Revs workforce of fast, high quality transcriptionists and captioners. What's different is that it's happening simultaneously in the Amazon, in Africa, in the Arctic. The massive demand in Asia for pangolin scales is driving the decimation of pangolins. In this trailer, he talks about his documentary . Trees regulate water flow across landscapes. Great numbers of species suddenly disappeared leaving only a few. Gaia 2.0 Could humans add some level of self-awareness to Earths Self-Regulation. By 1990, just seven known individuals survived. So we've been saying for 20-plus years that this exploitation of our environment is driving pandemics. Intercept the rainfall and the roots hold the soil in place. And in some parts of the world, there's not even good regulations to limit the catches. The evidence is that unless immediate action is taken, this crisis has grave impacts for us all. So a consumer walking into a supermarket may unwittingly. The series addresses issues of conservation while featuring these desperate animals in their respective home regions, and has been noted for its greater focus on humans' impact on the environment than traditional nature documentaries, centering around how climate change impacts all living creatures. A Netflix original documentary series and groundbreaking collaboration between WWF, Netflix and Silverback Films, Our Planet showcases the world's natural wonders, iconic species and wildlife . Honest, revealing and urgent, David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet is a powerful first-hand account of humanity's impact on nature and a message of hope for future generations. What is your plan for how human beings are going to save the planetary ecosystem and how are you going to contribute to that effort? Over the course of my life, I've encountered some of the world's most remarkable species of animals. In the UK, we have one really striking example of that. Unlike so many other wildlife documentaries, which leave you feeling enthralled and uplifted, Our Planet also stirs up feelings of guilt. But then as animals above them eat more and more of the small animals, they'll concentrate up the food chain. How to Save Our Grasslands Find out from Sir David Attenborough how changing the way we eat and a revolution in farming can save our planet's wild grasslands. Im absolutely terrified to bring a child to this world. And they are extremely important for pollination. I know what it is. David Attenborough sits on a rock by a shore, facing the camera. We have created a database that has world fisheries statistics, and we were the first ones to study fisheries on a global basis, and this global view shows that we have massive and widespread overfishing. Forests around the world, where there's a lot of biodiversity, have thousands of viruses that we've never come into contact with yet. We don't know exactly what happened yet, but it's my view that it's our relationship with nature and the way we interact with it that drove the emergence of Covid. Only if we do that will we have any hope of averting disaster. ***** Our planet is home to a seemingly infinite variety of species. People claim these are cultures and traditions, but a lot is really just a marketing scheme by traders looking for the next animal to exploit. Read the transcript of the speech here. But Yunnan has been under incredible change for the past few decades. If you have not used our catalog since prior to June 6, 2016 contact Circulation at the number below to get your PIN reset. David Attenborough, Our Planet. Attenborough particularly enjoyed travelling twice to the island of Skomer, off the west coast of Wales, last summer, said Fothergill, co-founder and director of Silverback Films, in Bristol. The Best Speech-to-Text Solution for Your Business Learn how Rev fits into your businesses workflow. The picture is grim. But during his lifetime, Attenborough has also seen first-hand the monumental scale of humanity's impact on nature. The UK economy has lost a quarter of its value. [6], In November 2018, David Attenborough was announced as the narrator, with the release date of 5 April 2019 also announced. Poaching is still sort of like a war, a constant battle that we have to fight. They are mother and daughter. There is no one correct response. And so one of the most obvious ways that we're making it more likely that a virus would jump is that we're having lots of contacts with animals. Our planet: the perfect home for ourselves and the rest of life on earth; We have a plan. Our planet is home to a seemingly infinite variety of species. Then we bring our livestock in. Sir David Attenborough spoke about climate action at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on November 1, 2021. Scientists believe that our destructive relationship with nature is actually putting us at greater risk of pandemic diseases. We need the best of the private sector to show the others they can make a profit and still conserve nature. Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. This website uses cookies and similar identifiers to give you the best online experience. One thing we do know is that if nature is given the chance, it can bounce back. All episodes were released on 5 April 2019. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet . If we don't act now, the youth of today and the youth of tomorrow are going to look back on this generation with absolute horror. We have to recognise that nature has true value that is taken into consideration in national accounts. He says THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IS. I do truly believe that together we can create a better future. Scientists have even linked our destructive relationship with nature to the emergence of Covid-19. Watch on David Attenborough: 'Nature once determined how we survive. Host Ari Shapiro speaks to the natural historian Sir David Attenborough, who began making documentaries and TV programs in the 1950s. For. Government in all three countries, conservation organisations and local communities started to work together with an emphasis not just on the gorillas, but on the people that live with them. They're here because we've betrayed them. But it's the rate of extinction. So the mothers carry their pups on their backs, but their habitat is being lost in front of our very eyes. 40 years ago, I had one of the most memorable experiences of my life. 5. Speaking and Listening: Anchor Standards #s 1 3 (for ELA classes). All groups in the natural world are in decline, which means their populations are getting smaller, day by day. There are many ways to remove pieces of the puzzle. Extend your content reach and maximize your engagement rates. Download Worksheet Language level We have systems to bring food to our cities and to remove sewage. Anthropocene A proposed geological age, or more technically, epoch, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and environment. Witness the planet's breathtaking diversity -- from seabirds carpet-bombing the ocean to wildebeests eluding the wild dogs of the Serengeti. Of the total mass of mammals on Earth, livestock has been found to account for 60%, humans for 36%, and wild animals just 4%. It also offers all the stunning imagery youve come to expect from these documentarians, but its attitude may surprise you. "David Attenborough" Scripts.com. British naturalist and documentary maker Sir David Attenborough has issued a rallying cry to leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, saying the world was looking to them to oversee the recovery of the planet. So, for example, we could begin work on restoring degraded land. Web. Bridges to Reading Discussion Questions 500,000 plants and animals and 500,000 insects. Their habitat was under very rapid conversion from forest to agricultural fields. Our consumption of beef drives this, our consumption of poultry, and the products that are used in poultry, drives this. This is indeed quite possible. 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. If working apart, we are force powerful enough to destabilize our planet, surely, working together, we are powerful enough to save it. The complete series [HD DVD] / a BBC/Discovery Channel/NHK co-production, in association with the CBC ; . We shape the future of the planet irretrievably by the decisions we take in this next few years. 8. The stability we all depend on is breaking. David Attenborough: (00:01) We now understand this problem. Experience our planet's natural beauty and examine how climate change impacts all living creatures in this ambitious documentary of spectacular scope. And over time all of them help the economy. It had everything a community would needfor a comfortable life. There is an ongoing debate as to when the Anthropocene would begin, but many suggest the 1950s since it will coincide with the presence in future rocks of an abundance of plastics and radioactive isotopes from nuclear testing. Attenborough, A Life on Our Planet, pp. And that means hundreds of thousands of animals are bred in fur farms. Did that number stop rising and start to drop, as a result of commitments made here? It was figured out quickly that it was a coronavirus. It comes down to this. While not required for the lesson plan, teachers may want to review it. Buy wood and paper from well-managed forests. Create a better, more engaging experience for every student. And there I met some of the few remaining mountain gorillas, including a mischievous youngster called Poppy. While most of the radioactive debris was deposited locally, some was carried by air currents to many parts of Europe. David Attenborough: (00:48) We must fix our sights on keeping one and a half degrees within reach. We use rivers and estuaries as sinks for the pollution we create from industry. 223 & 224. These deaths also occur exponentially due to the worsening environment, and soon there is a moment when the death rate and the birth rate equal each other at that point the population has peaked, and may plateau for a period. High-speed rail links have gone in there, roads have been built into remote areas. Mass Extinction a loss of three-quarters or more of all species in existence across the entire Earth over a short geological. The impacts of biodiversity loss are no longer a threat for future generations to face. The last northern white rhino. Streaming now. For instance, the global temperature anomaly in 2015 was 0.87C above the 20th-century average, while in 2020, it was 1.02C above that same average. This year has shown us we've gone one step too far. We are after all, the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth. And this is a particularly pretty little pangolin. This is a really big problem for the species of fish that prey upon the fish that we're harvesting, and this has huge impact for marine ecosystems. Animals have lots of different viruses that circulate inside their bodies, just like we do. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement. . Examples are: Restrict our consumption of meat and dairy; 6. It was published on April 18, 2021 and updated on May 22, 2021. Exhaust gases, heat and effluents begin to accumulate and poison with increasing speed. JOIN NOW From the makers of "Planet Earth," and narrated by Emmy and BAFTA winner Sir David Attenborough. The world has been on pause during the pandemic, and as we begin to move forward, we have a moment, we can change the way we're running our world and make it better. News report - "The UN panel of experts has found that one million animal and plant species face extinction". We face a frightening future. And since 2005, the government set up a tourism revenue sharing scheme. Many scientists, including myself, have been saying for the last 25 to 30 years that biodiversity is being lost due to human action. It is a form of cellular agriculture. That population has been studied for about 30 years. We will reveal what must be preserved if we are to ensure a future where humans and nature can thrive. 48. PCB stand for polychlorinated biphenyls. The Earths lifesupport machine had stuttered and the miraculous assemblage of fragile interconnections which held it together had collapsed. We can be more diligent about thinking about what we're consuming and when. So, whats stopping you from doing something to help the environment and to preserve humanity and the non-human animals at risk from climate change? They proliferate wildly. That's the big prize. And the surrounding areas become lethal territory. We ourselves must do so. Big picture. long term, theyre not in our field of vision. Last year, the United Nations asked over 500 scientists to investigate the current state of the natural world. The food begins to run out beneath the bacteria. Possible Problems Examples combining (2) and (3), occurred on many occasions before the Civil War in the U.S. when Abolitionists would bear witness to the evils of slavery and the need for reform, calling attention to the nations original sin through public prayer services and vigils. It's never been more important for us to understand the effects of biodiversity loss, of how it is that we ourselves are responsible for it. The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. In 1992 at the Earth Summit, a convention was signed to protect biodiversity. Rockstrom and Attenborough take the massive avalanche of evidence for humanity's negative impact on the planet and condense it into its key components, sharing the main points and delegating. Our population growth is actually slowing down and by the end of the century, it will plateau. Under Title 17 U.S.C. At 93, Sir David Attenborough has spent a lifetime studying the natural world, and been knighted for his efforts. The grazing land necessary to produce meat is a major cause of deforestation all over the globe. 3. 2023. Complete the sentences with words from the . I am caretaker of the northern white rhinos. The massive hit to the economy is no surprise. He is the younger brother of the director, producer and actor Richard Attenborough, and older brother of the motor executive John Attenborough. Traders claim that they have medicinal purposes, but, you know, pangolin scales are made of keratin. Tasks . We know how to stop the number rising and put it in reverse. the threat caused by methane emissions from factory farming and the melting of the permafrost; Students who are interested in expressing themselves through the visual arts can create a sketch or painting inspired by the film. We've already lost nearly 90% of the wetlands around the world. We found that in China, we have about 16% left of what we had 120 years ago. This is that moment. There are four Asian pangolin species and four African. He was invited to speak by the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who chaired this month's session. Even today, there are people that will do anything in their power to make sure that the politicians do not act. We've learnt that many, many times, and yet we carry on making the same mistake. This opportunity is out of sight. That's the problem. If we really care about saving our civilization and other animals we can use our ingenuity to adjust our impact on the sealed environment of the earth and its atmosphere. The other 95% are humans or the animals we farm. The series's presenter is the naturalist David Attenborough, who is regarded as a national treasure in the U.K.he was knighted, in 1985and has written and narrated so many wilderness. There were tensions between the park and communities. Lots of people don't like government regulation, but there are some tremendous success stories of international legal cooperation. We've estimated 10% are at risk of extinction. I'm here to tell you that the three lead authors here from the UN are part of this con that the United Nations presents itself as the world's expert on science" At a recent Congressional testimony, two of the Republican witnesses argued that the loss of biodiversity was nowhere near as serious as what we were saying in the report. That's how HIV emerged. We now have enough data to be able to identify the main drivers of biodiversity loss. I find that terrifying. The reality is our world is based on economic growth, grabbing more and more. One of the problems is that many of the products we use are manufactured in ways that pollute our air, land and water, making pollution another of the drivers of biodiversity loss. Is it the very large number of people, or the small number of people with very few children who are actually driving negative impacts? National Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance, Must bear witness, Studying the Holocaust. Individual entries feel a little less memorable because of it. 2) People have intelligence and technology. But it's all made up. This is important for males to find mates or when young will go find new territories. The body of this transcript consists of David Attenborough's narration from Extinction: The Facts. fossil fuels such as wood, coal, oil, and natural gas, thus disrupting the carbon cycle. And either somebody got infected and travelled to Wuhan themselves or sent animals that they were shipping into the wildlife trade into those wet markets and then the virus exploded from there. There have been five previous mass extinctions; we appear to be at the beginning of the sixth. And in 80 years time, well be past the worst of it. Everything behind bullet points comes from the experts who appeared in the programme. The crops necessary to feed those animals consume more than 50% of the potable water in the U.S. One hamburger with 1/3rd of a pound of beef requires 660 gallons of water to produce. What can you say to a person from a poor developing country who wants to live the rich and environmentally destructive life-style now enjoyed by many affluent people in the U.S.? 40 years ago, people consumed a good deal less in the United Kingdom, but there is no evidence that we were unhappier then than we are now. Roll out the new green tech systems as they arrive. More than that well have built a world with eternal energy, clean air, and water. The nations of the world got together and they banned these chemicals, and the problem was solved because once the manufacturing companies started looking for alternatives, they found them quite quickly. As with the manufactured climate crisis, they are using the spectre of mass extinction to scare the public into compliance" We've wasted 20 to 30 years when the governments of the world, working with the private sector, could have done a much better job conserving biodiversity. From a single pond to a whole tropical rainforest. CCSS pp. Watch on "Biodiversity is declining in every region of the world, all as a consequence of the way we have chosen to live," notes nature historian Sir David Attenborough, who narrates Our Planet, in the foreword for a companion photography book published in tandem with the series. And then, going forwards, we need to dramatically change the damage that we do from producing and consuming. Selected Awards & Cast, Helpful Background Many people imagine there's this untouched wilderness because they see it on their TV screens. As the Cerrado is being cleared, anteaters can be driven into isolated islands of habitat. "[21] Stuart McGurk of British GQ said "Its hard not to see this as a direct rebuke of the BBCs nature documentaries: take one well-worn spectacular of the natural world, shoot it even more spectacularly than the BBC ever did and structure your whole opening episode around the idea that, without taking things like global warming seriously without putting it front and centre about any show youre making about the natural world, because how could you not then pretty soon theyll be nothing left to film so beautifully. David Attenborough is a famous British naturalist.