Name: A Life on Our Planet
Rating: 4.574074074074074 (54 reviews)
ISBN: 9781529108279

David Attenborough

My Witness Statement and A Vision for the Future

A Life on Our Planet

See the world. Then make it better. 'I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake - and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited.' All we need is the will do so.

My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

The most optimistic I’ve felt about the planets truly terrible situation in years.

Benjamin Harlow

In this scientifically informed account of the changes occurring in the world over the last century, award-winning broadcaster and natural historian shares a lifetime of wisdom and a hopeful vision for the future. See the world. Then make it better. I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day -- the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake -- and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited. All we need is the will do so.

Every single human needs to read this book, take notes and then take action. 

Beth Bartholomew

Ciska van Bokhorst

Christine Liu

At 94, David Attenborough has had a remarkable life and created a truly monumental body of work. In this book, he chronicles his journey from a young boy marveling at ammonite fossils to the world's preeminent nature documentarian with the signature reverence and awe for nature that characterizes his many television programs. This short book is divided into three sections. The first is what he calls his witness statement, where he details the things he's seen from 1937 to 2020, tracking the growth of human population, increasing carbon in the atmosphere, and decline of remaining wilderness at each step along the way. The second part is a brief description of what can be expected to occur over the next 90 years if things continue the way they currently are, and it is an understandably bleak and alarming vision. The last part offers his vision for the future, or a series of interventions that must occur in concert to rewild our planet and maintain livable conditions for us and every other species alive. It's easy to become cynical and fatalistic when thinking about the state of the climate and the environment, but David Attenborough's message is one of hope and optimism. This was a lovely, fast read that focuses on what Attenborough knows best - the astonishing wonder and resilience of the natural world.

Amy Keast

Sir David Attenborough

*Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Science & Technology Book of the Year* In this scientifically informed account of the changes occurring in the world over the last century, award-winning broadcaster and natural historian shares a lifetime of wisdom and a hopeful vision for the future. See the world. Then make it better. I am 93. I've had an extraordinary life. It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary. As a young man, I felt I was out there in the wild, experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion. The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us, barely noticeable from day to day -- the loss of our planet's wild places, its biodiversity. I have been witness to this decline. A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement, and my vision for the future. It is the story of how we came to make this, our greatest mistake -- and how, if we act now, we can yet put it right. We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited. All we need is the will to do so.

A Life on Our Planet My Witness Statement and A Vision for the Future

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