David Attenborough has warned that humans have “overrun the world” in a trailer for A Life on Our Planet, a forthcoming documentary looking at the changes on Earth during his lifetime.
The 93-year-old naturalist and broadcaster describes the project as a “witness statement” of the effects of the climate crisis, adding that the actions of humanity are sending the planet into decline.
It’s not the first time Attenborough has spoken out about the climate emergency; having presented programmes on population growth and global warming in the late 2000s, he has become even more explicit in his message in recent times, with projects including the BBC One documentary Climate Change: The Facts, broadcast last April, and Netflix’s Our Planet, which aired in the same month and had a more overt ecological message than his earlier work. He also appeared before a parliamentary select committee last July to discuss environmental policy, where he spoke of issues that would cause “social unrest and great changes in the way that we live” over the next 30 years. Broadcast in 2017, his BBC series Blue Planet II also highlighted the environmental impact of single-use plastic, and has been credited with raising awareness in the UK and abroad.
Colin Butfield of the WWF – the animal conservation charity that co-produced the film and previously worked on Our Planet – said that “there has never been a more significant moment for [Attenborough] to share his own story and reflections. This film coincides with a monumental year for environmental action as world leaders make critical decisions on nature and climate”. There is also a sense of hope to the film, with Attenborough looking at potential solutions to the climate crisis.
A Life on Our Planet will be shown in cinemas from 16 April and broadcast on Netflix.
