‘Give up meat and rewild the world to save planet,’ urges Sir David
SIR David Attenborough says we need to “rewild the world” and consider becoming vegetarian or mainly eating plant-based meals if we are to save the planet.
In his new documentary film A Life On Our Planet, the 94-year-old outlines the decline of the planet’s environment and biodiversity that he has observed first-hand.
And among the solutions would be for people to change their diet, reducing our meat intake, in the same way Sir David has in recent years.
He said: “We must radically reduce the way we farm.We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat eaters.
“If we had a mostly plant-based diet we could increase the yield of the land.We have an urgent need for free land. Forests are fundamental to recovery – bio-centres of diversity.
“The wilder and more diverse the more effective. We must grow palm and soya on deforested lands. Nature is our biggest ally.”
Sir David has visited every corner of the globe, exploring the planet’s wild places and documenting the living world.
The film is described as Sir David reflecting on the defining moments of his lifetime as a naturalist and the devastating changes he has seen. He is still upbeat that it is possible to save the planet – but only if people make big changes.
He said: “The true tragedy of our time is still unfolding – the loss of biodiversity. The living world is our unique marvel. The natural world is fading. This film is my vision of our future – our greatest mistake.
Assault
“If we act now, we can put it right. This pristine of ecosystems is heading for disaster. Our imprint is global.
“Our blind assault on the planet has come to affect the very fundamentals of the world. The ocean is unable to absorb the heat. The temperature is one degree higher than when I was born. We cut one billion trees a year and over fish. We are replacing the wild with the tame.
“Half of fertile land on earth is now farm land, 70 per cent of birds are domestic, majority chickens. We are one third of animals on earth. This is now our planet run by – and for – humans.
“There’s little left for the world.We have completely destroyed it. That is my witness statement, the story of global decline during a lifetime. If we continue on our current course the damage will be eclipsed by the damage that comes next. Scientists predict by 2030 the rainforest turns into a dry savanna, altering the global water cycle. The Arctic becomes ice-free, global warming increases, frozen soils release methane and accelerate climate change dramatically.
“By 2080 global food production enters crisis, soils overused, weather more unpredictable. The planet becomes four degrees warmer, large parts of the world uninhabitable.
“A sixth mass extinction is well underway. Our garden of Eden will be lost. I wish I wasn’t involved in this struggle. I wish it wasn’t there.
“I would feel guilty if I saw what the problems are and ignored them.
“We must rewild the world. Rewilding the world is easier than you think. A century from now our planet could be a wild place again.”
The film will premiere in cinemas on September 28 before launching on Netflix in the autumn.
It was created by natural history filmmakers Silverback Films and environmental organisation WWF.
Cinema screenings will feature a conversation between Sir David and Monty Python star Sir Michael Palin, who shares a love of the natural world.
Sir David added: “We have to do what nature has always done. It worked out the secret of life long ago.
“A species can only survive when everything around is surviving.” cause of death as “upper airway obstruction by a foreign body”.
He added: “There is no evidence of any other injuries as a result of assault or restraint.”
Dylan suffered from autism, Cohen syndrome, partial sight, speech, language and mobility issues.
The inquest was adjourned until March 5.
Russian-born Mrs Freeman, 40, is in custody and due back in court on November 4.
Dylan’s father Dean divorced Ms Freeman a number of years ago.
He is renowned for his candid portraits of celebrities including David and Victoria Beckham, the Spice Girls and Michael Buble.
He previously said: “Dylan was a beautiful, bright, inquisitive and artistic child who loved to travel, visit art galleries and swim.
“I can’t begin to comprehend his loss.”