A Life on Our Planet by Sir David Attenborough, Book Review
natalie dyer reviews sir david attenborough’s novel “A life on our planet: my witness statement and a vision for the future”.
Convincing humanity that we need to act now to save the Earth is no easy task, but if there was ever a man for the job, it’s Sir David Attenborough. His latest book, “A Life on Our Planet”, delivers a masterclass in accessible environmental communication, and wouldn’t be out of place on any adult or late teen’s bookshelf. Here we have the “King of Natural History” at his prime.
David Attenborough released “A Life On Our Planet: My Witness Statement and Vision for the Future” in 2020. Illustration by Laura Cuppage.
This book is bold in its ambition but simple in its objectives. Within its covers, Attenborough aims to describe the destruction of the planet during his lifetime, convince us that we must act now to restore nature and explain to us how we might do this. The scope is undoubtedly enormous, and as such the book has been split into three distinct sections, with Attenborough presenting his “witness statement” in Part One.
We begin in 1937, with an 11-year-old Attenborough developing a keen interest in the natural world, while searching for fossils near his Leicester home. From here we view the modern history of the natural world through the author’s eyes, eventually finding ourselves in 2020, the year in which the book was published. Since Attenborough’s childhood adventures, the population has more than trebled, atmospheric carbon has increased by nearly half, and Earth’s remaining wilderness has declined from 66% to a worrying 25%.
There is nobody better suited to telling us this interwoven story of nature and man. At 94 years old, Attenborough has seen the world develop in ways that would have been unthinkable in his youth. His extensive travels, courtesy of his career at the BBC, have enabled him to explore some of the world’s most extraordinary and biodiverse destinations, many of which he has sadly seen destroyed since his first visit. This first section of the book is a one-man antidote to shifting baseline syndrome – making us realise that the “natural world” of today, or even of our childhoods, is remarkably different to the natural world which our elders experienced in their youths.
Attenborough’s adventures are extraordinary and his anecdotes provide us with entertaining autobiographical insight into his life. His writing, however, never becomes self-important. Rather, he presents himself as a humble secondary character who happens to have found himself narrating the story of our wild planet; Nick Carraway to the natural world’s Gatsby.
This witness statement is distressing, but it’s never hyperbolic. We learn of a warming planet; one where overfishing, ocean acidification and conversion of wilderness to agriculture have increased at a concerning pace. The tale is undoubtedly a sad one, with humankind the antagonist, but the reader is never left feeling that Attenborough is pointing the finger. His love for humanity, as well as the natural world, is apparent throughout.
Part Two of the book reports on “what lies ahead”, from today into the next century, and is condensed into a jarring 16 pages. It’s a shock to the system to consider what a child born today might have borne witness to by the time they reach Attenborough’s age, with flooding, fire, food shortages and mass migration being forecast if we fail to change our ways.
The brevity of this second section serves not only to shock but also to keep the reader from falling into despair. It’s hard to imagine a person who wouldn’t feel at least mildly horrified, upon learning of the forecasted destruction of nature by mankind, should we not act immediately. If readers weren’t already aware of the grave nature of the situation, they most certainly are by this point.
As sad as it is to admit, Attenborough’s writing feels somewhat tinged with a sense of his own mortality. Not content with “just” a legacy of 94 years, laying witness to and informing us about the changing state of nature, he also offers us his “vision for the future”. In fewer than 100 pages Attenborough provides us with his version of a roadmap out of our current crisis.
This section gives us an overview of the ways in which scientists are suggesting we restore the natural world so that the wilderness that Attenborough witnessed in his youth might once again flourish. Here, Attenborough also draws upon hopeful case studies such as sustainable modern agriculture in the Netherlands and the impressive protection of fish stocks in Palau. Such examples are a positive reminder of what is already achievable with human will and innovation.
Somewhat refreshingly, the focus is less centred around the need for individual change, and more concentrated on the need for political and corporate action. Here we hear about the importance of divesting from fossil fuels, ending our obsession with growth in GDP, and moving towards a more equitable future for women in less economically developed countries. He’s not afraid to offer a counter-balance to arguments either: criticisms of REDD+ as a new form of colonialism are addressed, and bio-engineered carbon capture storage is rejected as a panacea. This book might not have the scope to dig deep into the nitty-gritty of individual solutions, but it makes efforts to maintain its integrity throughout.
While the book may take more of a “jack-of-all-trades” approach to environmental issues, the breadth of subjects squeezed into each relatively short section is astounding. I can’t think of a book that has covered a comparably vast amount of information, in such a concise and entertaining way, since Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’.
This book almost takes the form of a “cheat sheet” on the key ideas of environmentalism today. Classic concepts such as carrying capacity, trophic cascade and the demographic transition model, which feature on most environmental degree curriculums, are explained with such simplicity that I was left wondering where this book was when I was trawling through textbooks as a first-year University student! Here we see Attenborough doing what he does best – communicating in a way that’s accessible to us all.
Those who watched the Netflix documentary of the same title might wonder whether the book is worth the read. My answer is an emphatic yes. The book is able to inform and empower in a way that just isn’t possible in an 83-minute film, and it’s in this format that we see Attenborough at his finest. Far from simply providing a voice-over for glossy animal documentaries, here is a man whose experiences have left him with a keen understanding of the natural world, and a remarkable talent for communicating about it.
Keen environmentalists might find this book unrevolutionary, however, it provides an excellent synthesis of existing knowledge, and Attenborough’s personal anecdotes are riveting. I found the book to be a highly enjoyable read – cementing my resolve to act for the environment and instilling hope that change is possible.
What makes the author unique amongst wildlife and environment “personalities” is his near-universal appeal, and if anyone is able to break down the walls of the green echo-chamber and invite everybody in, then it’s Sir David Attenborough. Here, he could not have laid out a more convincing case that the time for us all to act to save the planet is now.
This is an environmental book for all, with the power to change hearts and minds in every household.
Buy it for yourself, and then buy it for your family and friends.
If you enjoy this you might also be interested in these other books:
The Uninhabitable Earth- David Wallace-Wells. If Attenborough’s 16-page outline of “what lies ahead” didn’t shake you to your core, this will. The future described by Wallace-Wells provides the ultimate antidote to climate complacency.
Life on Air- David Attenborough. In Attenborough’s 2009 professional autobiography he recounts more wildlife adventures, experienced over the course of his illustrious broadcasting career. Perfect if you want to learn more about the man himself.
How to Talk About Climate Change in a Way That Makes a Difference- Rebecca Huntley. Found inspiration in Attenborough’s compassionate approach to talking about environmental issues? You might enjoy social researcher Rebecca Huntley’s advice on how to have constructive climate conversations in your own life.
Thank you to Laura Cuppage for her beautiful illustration of Sir David. You can find more of her work on her Instagram @laura.cuppageart.
Natalie Dyer
Natalie is a science writer with a passion for animals and the environment. She spent several years working at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary as the Animal Care Supervisor and Research Coordinator. Her experiences led her to take a greater interest in the relationship between society, wildlife and the environment, and in 2020 she left to pursue a career in science communication. Natalie is a firm believer that people power is the key to saving the planet!