He is the soothing voice of our planet – but is he convincing?

Sir David Attenborough has been leading the charge for climate action for years, but are his methods working? We asked UCL students their thoughts on the matter.

Sir David Attenborough speaking in the House of Lords as part of the Lord Speaker’s Lecture Series on his hopes and fears for the Planet. Image Source: Copyright House of Lords 2020, Photography by Roger Harris.

In less than a month after it was first established, Sir David Attenborough’s Instagram account has reached over six million followers. It broke records, having become the fastest ever Instagram page to reach one million followers. Attenborough, a 94-year-old natural historian, has been a prominent figure on British television for many years. He has become best known for his efforts in raising awareness of climate change. Even the current threat of Covid-19 has not discouraged him from his mission, as he moves his campaign online.

Many of us may have grown up watching Attenborough’s documentaries on television. I doubt we would have imagined that one day, we would hear the same soothing voice tell us that many of the natural wonders he described in his films were now in danger of becoming extinct.

In his documentary “Extinction: The Facts” that aired on the BBC this September, “Britain's favourite naturalist” was noted to “issue us all with a stark warning.” In the film, experts inform us that one million of the estimated eight million species living on Earth are now in danger of extinction. The population of vertebrate animals alone has declined by 60 per cent in the past 50 years, and one in four plant species is now in danger. Though extinction is a natural process, the speed at which it is currently occurring is unprecedented and continues to increase. And yet, we rely on biodiversity for survival – to feed ourselves and control our climate. 

It is precisely the high speed in which changes are currently occurring that Attenborough highlights in his documentary “A Life on Our Planet”, recently released on Netflix. The documentary may resemble his previous work “Our Planet” in many aspects, but it is much more personal and, as some (including the Guardian) have claimed, “more political.” Attenborough himself describes it as a “witness statement.”

“With animals getting more closely attached to the human world, the spread of animal viruses to humans has become much easier than in the past.”

In the film, he unearths old recordings from his long career of exploring and documenting the natural marvels of planet Earth. But in order to depict today’s world, he is forced to focus more on a single animal species – humans.

The border between the wilderness he used to explore, and the human world seems to have disappeared. According to the documentary, humans form 1/3 of the weight of all mammals on earth. A further 60 per cent are animals people raise to eat, leaving just four per cent to all other living species, ranging from mice to whales. This is where the literal meaning of “our planet” can be applied; the planet is now tamed and lead by humans, for humans. But wilderness and biodiversity are what is truly necessary for sustainable life on Earth.

In the wake of current events, Attenborough links the mishandling of living creatures to the spread of Covid-19. With animals getting more closely attached to the human world, the spread of animal viruses to humans has become much easier than in the past. Coronavirus is known to reside in animals, with the Covid-19 strain believed to have originated in bats from rural China. In the past, these bats would not have come into close contact with humans, as their habitat would have been too remote. This changed and now, we are in the middle of a pandemic.

Markets, such as the wet market in Wuhan, have become an ideal place for viruses to spread to humans. Distressed animals are far more inclined to spread viruses than their calm counterparts. Experts estimate that five new diseases impacting humans will emerge each year from now on. Thus, the damage our species has done and is still doing to our planet has some very visible consequences in today’s world. Some of these consequences, including the spread of Covid-19, are still often not regarded as results of our actions. This needs to change.

“We must re-wild the world,” Attenborough remarks, “[…] if we take care of nature, nature will take care of us.” But at the moment, we are not taking care of it.

“The people who watch his documentaries do not necessarily need informing or persuading on the climate crisis or similar topics as they are already interested and quite well informed.”

The film “A Life on Our Planet” has received glorifying reviews, but has it managed to cross that border from being a good film to actually having an impact on people’s lives and opinions? Attenborough shows no doubt in people’s willingness to stop harming our planet and restore biodiversity. “No one wants this to happen,” he claims. Yet is it really that simple?

Although his actions and films are an inspiration to many, there seems to be an increasing number of people who question, whether he actually has an impact on helping the environment. They see his films as something that cannot possibly have an impact on people’s approach towards our planet. To get a better understanding of what people’s opinions are, Pi Media asked UCL students a few questions concerning the impact of Attenborough’s work.

First, we asked students what they thought Attenborough is actually trying to achieve with his documentaries. Most students agreed that his goal is to raise awareness. Yet, some showed doubt in how effective his methods in achieving this were. The most common argument was that the people who watch his documentaries do not necessarily need informing or persuading on the climate crisis or similar topics as they are already interested and quite well informed.

“He is often careful not to name specific industries, which means they can often still go unnoticed.”

Does he succeed in addressing new audiences? In this, some expressed doubt. Others were more hopeful, stating that due to his celebrity status and apparent trustworthy nature, Attenborough’s films will still manage to reach new audiences. According to one student “what Attenborough does is the best way to help the masses become personally attached to the environment,” because in his films he “gets as close to an actual physical experience as possible.”

We asked whether Attenborough should be more direct and specific in his criticism. Because, as one student put it, “he is often careful not to name specific industries, which means they can often still go unnoticed.” But then again, could this approach appear too preachy? As CNN mentions in its review of the documentary, “There's always the risk of sounding preachy in this sort of exercise in a way that scares off those who can be reached, or perhaps worse, being unduly optimistic. Attenborough finds a middle ground, devoting the last 30 minutes to potential solutions.” In these last 30 minutes, he does mention specific examples, as he talks about companies and governments that have done something right in the fight to save our planet. For instance, the island of Palau in the Pacific Ocean banned fishing in many areas to enable the number of fish in their seas to increase and thus, in the long term, help their fishermen.

“Governments will bring on more change when they are forced by society and active citizens to do so.”

This may lead us to the question of who, at the end of the day, is responsible for making a change. According to a poll on one of Attenborough’s Instagram stories, 69 per cent of his followers stated that governments and businesses, as opposed to individuals, should be doing more in tackling waste. As one UCL student states, “governments will bring on more change when they are forced by society and active citizens to do so.” This approach has shown to be effective in the past.

Furthermore, most students agreed that Attenborough’s films are not too dramatic and might even be a little too optimistic. We interpret this as an understanding of the gravity of the situation Earth finds itself in. In the words of David Attenborough that do not seem too optimistic: “We are facing nothing less than the collapse of the living world.”

There is more to be done in terms of tackling the climate crisis, even within UCL. It is vital to call for noticeable change – something that can only be achieved in numbers. It will certainly be interesting to see what Attenborough’s works will incite next.

Pi Opinion content does not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial team, Pi Media society, Students’ Union UCL or University College London. We aim to publish opinions from across the student body — if you read anything you would like to respond to, get in touch via email.