We have reasons to believe that Attenborough may be one of the busiest old people in the world. Sir David Attenborough is one of the nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, he has been most famous for his wildlife TV series. He also wrote many books and won numerous awards including BAFTA and Emmy awards, and he was knighted in 1985.
“He is breath of common sense in this mad world”
In recent years, extreme climate wars, food shortages, economic downturn, political confrontation, serious social polarization and other problems have become increasingly serious. For an old man running on the edge of life, time is especially scarce for him.
When accepting the lifetime achievement award of UNEP’s “earth Guardian Award” on April 21 this year, Attenborough clearly put forward his own know-how: “in the era we are in, the world must work together as a unified whole.”
From the ancient fish 380 million years ago, from flowers to dinosaurs, there are more than 40 species of animals and plants named after Attenborough.
In June 2022, Britain awarded Attenborough the title of SIR for the second time in recognition of his outstanding service in the fields of television broadcasting and environmental protection; In July, scientists named the earliest known creature with bones found in a 560 million years old fossil his name Attenborough; and in August, he was nominated for the British National Television Awards for his documentary “green planet” broadcast on the BBC earlier this year. Attenborough was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize again in 2022.
“He is a breath of common sense in this mad world.” Patrick Moran commented on the change.org website on “Nominate Sir David Attenborough for the Nobel Peace Prize” webpage.
“To the earth, as a human being, I feel guilty”
In 1979, BBC broadcast Attenborough’s first epoch-making nature documentary “life on earth”. In the next 43 years, he made dozens of classic nature documentaries.
In the last episode of nine “Life Series” documentaries, Attenborough stood in front of the camera and solemnly warned the world: “we may destroy the world”.
“Are We Changing Planet Earth?” and “Can We Save Planet Earth? “ released in 2006 showed the acceleration of global warming and the occurrence of extreme climate. Attenborough called for immediate action to prevent disasters.
The 2019 documentary “climate change – the facts” discussed the risks of climate change and possible solutions, which was praised by British daily “The Guardian” as “at a time when the public debate seems to be getting hysterical, it’s really good to show what can be trusted.”
On October 4, 2020, Netflix released another documentary of David Attenborough: “a life on our planet”. In the documentary, standing on the ruins of Chernobyl, the gray haired old man called for facing the environmental crisis squarely and treating other life on the earth kindly. This documentary also shows the impact and harm of human behavior on the nature by the development of modern civilization: “the ice layer is riddled with holes, the sled dog is forced to stagger in the water, the coral is bleached to death due to the warming of the sea water…”
When he was asked why he wanted to make such a documentary, Attenborough said, ” To the earth, as a human being, I feel guilty. ” This is a kind old man atoning for the earth for the whole mankind in his own way. In the end of the documentary, he put forward suggestions for sustainable development based on some successful cases of reversing ecological damage: energy substitution, division of no fishing areas… In his view, human beings have a unique ability among all creatures on the earth – the ability to imagine a future and strive to achieve it.
In the new documentary “a perfect planet” released in 2021, Attenborough gives the lens to the efforts of developing countries, “Now, a new dominant force is changing the face of the earth: human beings. In order to protect our perfect earth, we must ensure that we become a force for good.”
Attenborough is affecting ordinary people, scientists, governments and organizations
“Attenborough is my favorite person. I want to be a wildlife explorer,” said Oscar Lanham, an 8-year-old primary school student in Britain.
Annelies andringa, a marine biological scientist from the Philippines, said, “his documentary made me realize that it is very important to spread the information of nature conservation.
The New York Times said that he has a “narrative from the perspective of God” and an insatiable curiosity, to depict a more sustainable future vision for hundreds of millions of viewers.
Simon Barnes, an environmentalist and writer said: “if the world really needs to be saved, no one will be more attentive and devoted than Attenborough.”
Attenborough hopes to inspire people’s enthusiasm for guarding ecological security through the story of life itself. His method was met by response. In “blue planet II” launched in 2017, the tragedy of turtles being entangled with plastic under the lens triggered the start of a large-scale reduction of plastic supplies in the UK and even the world.
In 2021, at cop26, Attenborough addressed world leaders: “We are no longer an isolated country that only cares about our own needs and security… Through global cooperation… We may feel real security for the first time in the entire history of mankind.”
