THURSDAY, 11 MARCH 2021
Natural historian Sir David Attenborough’s latest documentary ‘A Life on Our Planet’ is his witness statement. He warns that, without intervention, the global ecological decline which occurred throughout his lifetime will only be exacerbated by following generations.Presented as a monologue, Sir Attenborough takes you on a journey through his life’s work, drawing on his previous documentaries as reference points. As expected of his documentaries, awe-inspiring images of wildlife instil wonderment in the audience. However, unlike his previous work, this documentary places emphasis on the interconnectivity between the decline of the natural world and the growth of our species and its unsustainable habits. There is an obvious ultimatum — we can continue our destruction of ecosystems across land and sea, or we can change. It concludes, more cheerfully, with small changes that have already had beneficial effects for ecosystems and ways in which societies have adopted these new attitudes. Although the negative impact of our species on the natural world is familiar to us, by laying it bare before the audience, Sir Attenborough’s statement is an emotive call to action for all.
Artwork by Eva Pillai
