Ocean with David Attenborough is directed by Toby Nowlan, Keith Scholey, and Colin Butfield, and produced by Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios in association with All3Media International, National Geographic, and Minderoo Pictures.

Silverback Films described the new documentary as Attenborough’s “greatest message of hope” yet, a feature-length film about the importance of healthy oceans for a healthy planet. Altitude Films published a trailer for Ocean with David Attenborough earlier this month.

“After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand the most important place on earth is not on land, but at sea,” said Attenborough in the trailer. “Today, it is in such poor health I would find it hard not to lose hope, were it not for the most remarkable discovery of all: the ocean can recover faster than we had ever imagined. It can bounce back to life.”

The new film comes to cinemas on May 8, 2025. In addition to launching on Attenborough’s 99th birthday, the film’s release is timed ahead of World Ocean Day and the United Nations Ocean Conference in June. This year also marks the halfway point of the United Nations’ “Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development” (2021 – 2030).

Read more: New Documentary Follows ‘Incredible’ 87-Year Old Vegan Ultrarunner Paul Youd

‘If we save the sea, we save our world’

On April 24, NGO Dynamic Planet and National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas programme launched the Revive Our Ocean initiative. It aims to assist local communities in their efforts to establish marine protected areas in coastal waters.

Life on earth is reliant on healthy seas, but without immediate intervention, the world’s oceans will be unrecognizable within just 20 years. More than 190,000 marine protected areas would need to be established in the next five years to meet the agreed-upon “30-by-30” target of protecting 30 percent of oceans, which some experts say may not be enough.

“This is the story of our ocean, and how we must write its next chapter together,” said Attenborough in the trailer. “For if we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I’m sure that nothing is more important.”

This article was updated on April 28, 2025, to remove mention that Revive Our Ocean is backed by David Attenborough. David Attenborough is not directly involved with Revive Our Ocean.
Read more: Is David Attenborough Vegan? Here’s What We Know

This article was written by Liam Pritchett on the PBN Website.

Animal farming is an environmental catastrophe. It creates harmful emissions, drives deforestation, and it’s also been identified as a “primary driver” of biodiversity loss. The UN has previously stated that the world must move toward “plant-heavy” dietary patterns to combat this issue. With many of Sir David’s shows focusing on animal extinction, many have wondered if he himself follows a meat-free diet.

Going vegan has been cited as the “single biggest way” to reduce our personal climate footprints. A report published in July 2023 found that vegan diets led to 75 percent less climate-heating emissions, land use, and water pollution than meat-heavy diets. They also cut the destruction of wildlife by 66 percent.

What has David Attenborough said about meat?

The impact animal farming has on our planet is something Sir David has recognized himself. In December 2023, David Attenborough slammed animal agriculture on his hugely popular BBC One show, Planet Earth III. In the episode – which was named “Human” – he said: “Currently the vast majority of agricultural land – more than 75 percent – is used to raise livestock and this is very inefficient.” He added that we “rear 70 billion farm animals each year and every one of them needs feeding.”

He went on to say that producing food for these animals is having a “profound impact on the natural world.”

“Year after year, we clear over two million hectares of the Amazon forest – an area the size of Wales. And we use nearly all of it to make more space for cattle and to grow soya to feed our livestock,” Sir David said. “If we shift away from eating meat and dairy and move towards a plant-based diet then the sun’s energy goes directly into growing our food. And because that’s so much more efficient, we could still produce enough to feed us but do so using a quarter of the land.”

This wasn’t the first time he’d been critical of animal farming. In 2020, the veteran broadcaster released a film titled A Life On Our Planet, which called upon the public to move away from meat.

The documentary covered the period of Sir David’s life up until that point, outlining the defining moments, and highlighting how the environment has been damaged during that time.

“We must change our diet. The true tragedy of our time is still unfolding – the loss of biodiversity,” Sir David says in the film. “Half of fertile land on Earth is now farmland, 70 percent of birds are domestic, majority chickens. There’s little left for the world. We have completely destroyed it.”

He continued: “By 2080 global food production enters crisis, soils overused, weather more unpredictable… a sixth mass extinction is well under way. Our garden of Eden will be lost. I wish I wasn’t involved in this struggle. I wish I wasn’t there.”

In an interview with Radio Times magazine, he expanded on this point: “Human beings have overrun the Earth. We have completely destroyed that world.

“The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters. If we all ate only plants, we’d need only half the land we use at the moment.”

Is David Attenborough vegan? Does he eat meat?

In short, as of December 2023, it is not known whether Sir David follows a vegan lifestyle or plant-based diet. Due to his words on Planet Earth III, it may be that he has recently ditched animal products – but he has previously stated that he does eat some meat and dairy.

In a past interview with the BBC in 2017, he is reported to have discussed reducing his meat intake. “I no longer have the same appetite for meat. Why? I’m not sure,” he said

“I think subconsciously maybe it’s because of the state of the planet. Although, I’ve never really been one for eating enormous meals and I’m not particularly a gourmet either, so I can’t pretend that I’m feeling deprived in any way or that it’s cost me all that much.”

He added: “I’m not claiming any moral virtue at this point — I’m just saying I don’t want to eat any red meat anymore.”

Later, in a 2020 interview with Good Housekeeping, Sir David said he was moving closer to vegetarianism.

“Well, I have certainly changed my diet. Not in a great sort of dramatic way. But I don’t think I’ve eaten red meat for months,” he explained. “I do eat cheese, I have to say, and I eat fish. But by and large I’ve become much more vegetarian over the past few years than I thought I would ever be.”

David Attenborough diet and ‘middle-class hypocrisy’

The broadcaster has previously stated that, while he recommends people stop eating meat, he is a hypocrite for not doing so himself.

In the Radio Times interview, he explained: “I eat fish, and chicken, and my conscience does trouble me. I’m affluent enough to afford free range, but it’s a middle-class hypocrisy.”

In 2020, writing about Sir David’s meat-eating, The Times said: “Even national treasures sometimes struggle to practice what they preach.”

His unwillingness to lead by example when it comes to his diet hit headlines again in 2022 after a marine biologist attempted to confront him while he dined at a luxury seafood restaurant.

Emma Smart, a supporter of Animal Rebellion, was reportedly “dragged” out of Catch at the Old Fish Market in Weymouth on November 17 of that year. She was urging Sir David to use his platform to call for food system change.

“We don’t need another documentary series showing us that we are losing, some 150 species going extinct globally every single day. What we need is action,” Smart, who is vegan, said in a statement. “Sir David is in a unique position to tell the truth about the biodiversity crisis. He has the chance to leave a legacy of love, care, and of being the forerunner of a better world.”

This article was updated on December 5, 2023, to include information about what Sir David Attenborough said about veganism on Planet Earth III

More like this:

• Is Greta Thunberg Vegan? Everything She’s Said About The Movement
• Is Chris Packham Vegan?
• Is James Cameron Vegan? Here’s What We Know

This article was written by Editorial Team on the PBN Website.

In an episode named “Human”, which aired on BBC One on Sunday night, Sir David praised plant-based diets for being “so much more efficient.”

“A profound impact on the natural world”

Planet Earth III is full of footage of the destruction inflicted on rainforests around the world. Sir David has been committed to shining a light on the biodiversity loss ravaging the planet.

Until recently, however, many of his documentaries have shied away from pointing a finger at animal agriculture, which is the number one cause of deforestation.

In last night’s episode, he was more direct. “Currently the vast majority of agricultural land – more than 75 percent – is used to raise livestock and this is very inefficient,” he told viewers. 

He also said that we “rear 70 billion farm animals each year and every one of them needs feeding.”

Sir David added that “producing the food for such numbers of domesticated animals is having a profound impact on the natural world.”

Plant-based diets give back to nature

Turning to the environmental destruction that he has witnessed during his decades-long career, Attenborough laid out the impacts of animal agriculture.

“Year after year, we clear over two million hectares of the Amazon forest – an area the size of Wales. And we use nearly all of it to make more space for cattle and to grow soya to feed our livestock.”

He added: “If we shift away from eating meat and dairy and move towards a plant-based diet then the sun’s energy goes directly into growing our food. And because that’s so much more efficient, we could still produce enough to feed us but do so using a quarter of the land.”

Studies have shown that shifting to a plant-based food system could free up an area the size of the United States, China, the European Union, and Australia combined. This space “could then be given back to nature,” Attenborough added.

Is David Attenborough vegan?

He is widely renowned for his work in educating people about the climate crisis, but Sir David is not currently thought to be vegan. Last year, he was confronted by a climate protestor at a fish restaurant.

The much-loved presenter has previously spoken about the need to reduce meat consumption.

In 2020, he released a film named A Life On Our Planet, in which he spoke about the huge impact of meat.

“We must change our diet. The true tragedy of our time is still unfolding – the loss of biodiversity,” Attenborough said in the film. “Half of fertile land on Earth is now farmland, 70 percent of birds are domestic, majority chickens. There’s little left for the world. We have completely destroyed it.”

More like this:

• David Attenborough Says The World Eats Too Much Meat – So Is He Vegan?
• Marine Biologist Acquitted After David Attenborough Encounter That Led To Her Arrest
• Swapping 30% Of Meat For Vegan Proteins Could Save 7.5 Million Swimming Pools Of Water, Study Claims

This article was written by Daniel Clark on the PBN Website.

On November 17, marine biologist Emma Smart was reportedly “dragged” out of Catch at the Old Fish Market, a Michelin-starred seafood restaurant in Weymouth, UK.

She had been trying to engage Attenborough in a discussion about the climate crisis. She also wanted to ask him to use his platform to call for vital food system changes.

Video footage of Smart being removed shows her shouting: “David, I’m a scientist. David, please.” Moments later, while face down on the pavement and being handcuffed, she stated that she is taking action for the future of her children. 

Smart, also an Animal Rebellion activist, attempted to pass a letter to Attenborough. In it, she asked him to meet with her for five minutes “for all life on Earth.”

Weymouth is on the English Channel coast of England. It’s thought to be at significant risk of sea level changes, as a result of the climate emergency. Flood risks have increased to the point where Smart predicts that the town will be largely uninsurable in coming years.

Case dismissed

Smart attended Poole Magistrate’s Court in March 17. She was charged with failure to comply with a section 35 dispersal order at the upmarket restaurant.

She was ultimately acquitted, with the judge highlighting Smart’s Article 10 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. She was reportedly given inadequate time to comply with the dispersal order, and her behavior was deemed non-threatening.

“I’m thrilled the judge recognized my right to protest on this absolutely critical issue, and I will continue to push the need for us all to talk about the solutions to the climate and ecological crises,” Smart said in a statement sent to Plant Based News.

“I hope this verdict sends a clear signal that ordinary people across society are taking a stand for climate, social, and animal justice.”

Fellow Animal Rebellion member, primary school teacher Louisa Hillwood, commended Smart’s “bravery.”

In a statement, Hillwood added: “We are delighted to see the judiciary side with ordinary people taking a stand against the cost-of-living, climate, and ecological crises. Emma Smart bravely took action last November when she attempted to speak to Sir David Attenborough at The Catch and raise the conversation on the need for a plant-based food system.

“We will continue to have this incredibly important conversation about the need to completely rethink the way we produce food, in a way that benefits us all.” 

Seafood and the climate crisis

Industrial fishing is intrinsically connected to the climate emergency. 

Massive catching operations severely deplete various species and contribute to a biodiversity crisis. Discarded fishing equipment also poses a serious threat to marine life. This comes in the form of altering their habitats, and therefore their life spans. Simply entangling animals for the remainder of their lives is also a consequence.

Emissions from fishing vessels can’t be ignored either, as they contribute to a cycle of marine destruction. 

As global heating increases due to greenhouse gas emissions, Earth’s oceans are getting warmer. Since 1901, it’s been estimated that the global sea surface temperature has increased by 1.5°F. This is because oceans contain 90 percent of the heat created by human-induced global warming. Such changes impact currents and climate patterns globally, thereby setting in motion a cycle of destruction and further biodiversity loss.

Leading by example

For these reasons, amongst others, animal and climate justice group Animal Rebellion is calling for support to help fishing communities, such as Weymouth, to transition to a plant-based food system. 

The organization also told Dorset Live that it was disappointed to see leading climate activist Attenborough dining in a luxury seafood restaurant. It added that the location charges a minimum of £65 per person.

“The Catch is a symbol of excess and inequality in today’s world. Weymouth has average wages amongst the lowest in The UK and is at huge risk of sea level rises. Yet this restaurant still continues business as usual amongst the worst cost-of-living crisis many will ever experience,” Smart said in a statement in November.

According to Animal Rebellion, Attenborough was dining with crew members of Wild Isles at the seafood restaurant. The new docuseries underscores the importance of protecting the planet and wildlife.

Attenborough’s climate activism

Through his numerous nature shows, Attenborough has increasingly been discussing the climate crisis.

Though he has ditched red meat from his diet, Attenborough admitted in 2021 that he still eats fish and chicken. We don’t know what diet Attenborough follows now, or what he was eating at the restaurant.

Activists – including Smart – want to see the beloved British presenter setting more of an example by not eating at seafood restaurants and being vocal about the need to move to a plant-based diet.

“We don’t need another documentary series showing us that we are losing, some 150 species going extinct globally every single day. What we need is action. Sir David is in a unique position to tell the truth about the biodiversity crisis. He has the chance to leave a legacy of love, care, and of being the forerunner of a better world,” Smart concluded.

This article was originally published on November 28, 2022. It was last updated on March 21, 2023 to include new information about Smart’s case.

This article was written by Amy Buxton on the PBN Website.

The broadcaster reportedly feared that its theme of natural destruction would cause “right-wing backlash.” Specifically, from Conservative Party ministers, some of the UK press, and the farming and hunting industries.

But the decision was met with backlash of a different kind, as reported by the Guardian on Friday (March 10).

Concerned program-makers and BBC staff raised the alarm that the so-called politically independent broadcaster had bowed to pressure from right-wing lobbying groups when it decided to release the final Wild Isles episode separately from the others.

“Senior sources” at the BBC informed the Guardian that the decision was an effort to avoid confrontation.

One unnamed source commented that “lobbying groups” such as the animal farming industries are “desperately hanging on to their dinosaurian ways.” And, that they would “kick off” had the show presented a “political” message.

BBC accused of censorship

Laura Howard, the producer of the docuseries, confirmed that the program would address farming’s negative effect on wildlife. But, that it would also spotlight those doing good in the sector.

Caroline Lucas, Brighton Pavilion’s Green Party MP, condemned the BBC for its alleged decision.

In a statement, Lucas said: “For the BBC to censor one of the nation’s most informed and trusted voices on the nature and climate emergencies is nothing short of an unforgivable dereliction of its duty to public service broadcasting.”

“BBC bosses must not be cowed by antagonistic, culture war-stoking government ministers, putting populist and petty political games above delivering serious action to protect and restore our natural world. This episode simply must be televised,” she added.

The BBC, David Attenborough, and ‘Wild Isles’

The Wild Isles series is a five-part docuseries narrated by Attenborough. The first episode aired on Sunday, March 12.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) co-produced the program, which was filmed over three years. The BBC says the project aims to “underscore the challenges affecting nature within the British Isles.” In addition, “alert audiences to the species vanishing on their doorstep.”

Right-wing backlash

Despite reportedly looking to appease right-wing political and media figures, the Wild Isles docuseries has failed to go unscathed.

The Telegraph called out the BBC for accepting money from both the WWF and the RSPB to produce the series. The publication claims both charities have been “criticized for their political lobbying.” And as such, the content will be skewed to the left.

Wild Isles producer Howard dismissed this point. “I think the facts speak for themselves,” she told the Guardian.

“You know, we’ve worked really closely with the RSPB in particular who are able to fact-check all of our scripts and provide us with detailed scientific data and information about the loss of wildlife in this country.

“And it is undeniable, we are incredibly nature-depleted. And I don’t think that that is political, I think it’s just facts.”

What has the BBC said about the accusations?

The BBC has denied holding back a sixth episode. It states that the chapter in question was always destined to be an iPlayer-only installment.

In a statement, it said the accusation was “totally inaccurate.”

“There is no ‘sixth episode’,” the broadcaster said about the Attenborough project. “Wild Isles is – and always was – a five-part series and does not shy away from environmental content. We have acquired a separate film for iPlayer from the RSPB and WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.”

Farming’s impact on the environment

Our agricultural system is hugely costly to the environment. It’s a leading cause of deforestation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss. It is also a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions. 

The UK government has a demonstrable history of failing to create effective climate strategies.

Moreover, it hasn’t addressed the impact of farming directly. Instead, it has allowed an increasing number of industrial “mega-farms” to be built across the country. There are now thought to be at least 1,000 large-scale farming locations in the UK, coming at great environmental cost. 

Wild Isles is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The next episode, called Woodlands, will air on March 19 at 7pm.

This article was written by Amy Buxton on the PBN Website.

Media and political attention to environmental issues have largely focused on fossil fuels and, more specifically, carbon dioxide. That is of course one of the world’s greatest issues and continues to deserve attention.

But the recent release, Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet, narrated by David Attenborough, makes the case for a system of environmental analysis that factors all key biophysical boundaries on our planet.

Breaking Boundaries

The lead scientist featured is Professor Johan Rockström. His research on planetary boundaries is both clear and meaningful.

He’s the founding director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and has been advocating for this concept since at least 2009.

This was after he observed that climate change is only one of nine interrelated planetary limits to focus on to maintain a safe operating space for humanity.

The 9 Boundaries

The below nine planetary boundaries serve as an outline for documentary:

• Climate change
• Biosphere integrity
• Ocean acidification
• Depletion of the ozone layer
• Atmospheric aerosol pollution
• Biogeochemical flows of nitrogen and phosphorus
• Freshwater use
• Land-system change
• Release of novel chemicals (heavy metals, radioactive materials, and plastics)

The inner green ring represents a safe planetary boundary where the metric is managed within estimated ecological limits. 

At least four are in the high-risk red zones, which means they are at risk of irreversible ecological damage. This includes biodiversity, climate change, land-system change, and the nitrogen-phosphorus imbalance. 

Some critics claim there is lacking evidence for these thresholds. But that does not discredit the need for this exercise on a global and local level.

Overall, the film does an excellent job breaking down the complex science for a mainstream Netflix audience.

Animal agriculture

Aside from a couple of minor mentions of the need to eat healthily with less beef, the huge body of evidence specifically pointing to the widespread impact of animal agriculture on almost every one of these boundaries was missing.

Animal agriculture is the number one stressor in many of these categories. This includes land-system change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use, and the disruption of nitrogen and phosphorus cycles due to chemical fertilizers. 

As Dr. Jonathan Foley from Project Drawdown mentions in a recent Eat-Lancet report: “In a world where climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, and diet-related illnesses are major concerns, changing diets may be one of the single most effective things we can do to build a better future.”

It’s not uncommon to minimize animal agriculture’s impacts on climate change with a narrow focus only on direct carbon dioxide emissions.

Widen the lens to include other more potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide. And, factor in land use and opportunities of carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and resource use. The result?

One has to live in denial to devalue the urgency to make plant-based shifts.

Reducing meat for the planet

Scientists Poore and Nemecek (2018) concluded that moving from current diets to a diet that excludes animal products has transformative potential, reducing the following. This was based on the largest meta-analysis on the topic to date, which included almost 40,000 farms in 119 countries.

• Food’s land use by 3.1 billion hectares (a 76 percent reduction equivalent to the size of Africa), including a 19 percent reduction in highly valuable arable land;
• Food GHGs by 6.6 billion metric tons of CO2eq (a 49 percent reduction, 28.1% total GHG reduction);
• Acidification by 50 percent; 
• Eutrophication by 49 percent; and
• Scarcity-weighted freshwater withdrawals by 19 percent

Furthermore, animal agriculture is by far the biggest driver of biodiversity and habitat loss.

It was mentioned in the documentary that wild animals now only represent 4 percent of all mammal biomass on planet Earth. 

The figure is from this study, which shows that 60 percent of all mammals on Earth are livestock, mostly cattle, and pigs.

And, the statement about wild birds did not specifically point out the ethical and environmental atrocity where 70 percent of all bird biomass is farmed “poultry” like chicken. 

Air pollution

The only boundaries not necessarily benefited from a shift away from animal agriculture are novel entities, ozone depletion, and atmospheric aerosol loading, none of which are in high-risk zones.

However, as mentioned with aerosol loading, air pollution is a major concern. 

Poor air quality is one of the largest environmental health risks worldwide. And, animal agriculture’s waste and fertilizer footprint is a major source of air pollution. 

This 2021 study showed dietary shifts toward more plant-based foods could reduce agricultural air quality-related mortality by 68-83 percent. 

It is in the nature of many scientists to just present the data and avoid advocating for specific solutions, perhaps to be seen as apolitical or just to avoid making mistakes. 

However, in not doing so, we fall prey to the age of seemingly unlimited information where pseudo-experts twist solutions to meet certain corporate agendas.

Beef industry spreading misinformation

Consider that Tyson Foods spends double what Exxon gives on political campaigns and 33 percent more on lobbying. Whilst this is relative to revenues, it is one of the world’s largest meat companies.

The beef industry has also hired its own academic experts who minimize the links between ecological damage and animal agriculture. 

Widespread disinformation campaigns have held back many from advocating for the systematic plant-based changes required to even come close to reducing the drivers of planetary decline.

How can we de-carbonize the planet?

Professor Rockström, rightfully so, calls for a fossil-fuel-free economy within 30 years. This is to stay within the Paris target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C from pre-industrial levels. 

Our efforts to decarbonize the world’s energy are not happening quickly enough. And, many would also argue degrowth and affluence are even better metrics than decarbonization.

But what if we are able to immediately create a utopia of electric vehicles and solar energy? Failing to address animal agriculture would be our demise.

If we continue to subsidize farming animals and prop up this unnecessary industry, the sector would account for 49 percent of the emissions budget for maintaining within 1.5 degrees C rise by 2030.

A global food production shift is needed

Currently, the best option at scale to remove CO2 from the atmosphere is reverting a portion of our planet back to nature and rewilding the huge land footprint currently grazed by farm animals.

Shifts in global food production to plant-based diets by 2050 could lead to sequestration equivalent to 9-16 years of global fossil-fuel CO2 emissions. 

And as the film states: “The Amazon could release 200 billion tonnes over the next 30 years. That’s equivalent to all the carbon emitted worldwide for the past 5 years.”

That is almost entirely due to an inflated demand for beef and soy feed crops.

To take the brilliant work of Professor Rockström seriously and as he stated it in the film, we need an immediate global agreement of a zero loss of nature from now onwards. This is for both carbon drawdown and biodiversity enhancement.

Furthermore, we need to reverse the trend. We can do this by granting back full property rights to indigenous communities. And, chipping away at reducing agricultural land use by systematic shifts to plant-based diets.

We also need to incentivize landowners with evidence-based carbon storage credits.

Covid-19: What will be the new normal?

While the Paris Agreement has largely been a failure as most countries are far behind their goals, there’s historical precedence in global environmental agreements working.

Scientific warnings on chemical pollutants translated into political action in the late 1980s that brought ozone depletion from a high-risk zone back to a safe level. 

The actions to address the covid-19 pandemic were far from textbook and involved many political challenges that brought death rates much higher than necessary. Coordination on vaccine rollout is proving to be a success, unfortunately only for rich countries, in moving back to normal. 

But what will be the new normal? 

During the pandemic, nature has taken a major hit. This has led to record deforestation and habitat loss, a key driver of zoonotic diseases.

What’s the path back to a safe operating space?

Perhaps we need to change how we see this problem as we look at allowing nature to flourish instead of just operating safely. 

While the flexitarian diet message of less meat and more plant-based protein is welcomed, it’s akin to saying we just need to move slightly away from coal, oil, and gas.

And, as stated in Breaking Boundaries, ‘eating healthy food might be the single most important way to contributing to save the planet’ is unfortunately too vague.

There are thousands of peer-reviewed articles pointing towards the need to shift diets to plant-based. And, the evidence is building despite the disinformation campaigns by Big Livestock. It’s absolutely not a silver bullet.

But, to avoid stating it does not do the science presented earlier in the film justice.

Framing the solutions on what would benefit everyone, regardless of whether one is an environmental advocate or not, is brilliant.

The takeaway from Breaking Boundaries

Who doesn’t want clean air, longer life expectancy, stable jobs, and reduced conflict over limited resources?

And as mentioned in Breaking Boundaries, if an asteroid was coming to wreak havoc, we’d all urgently try to minimize the damage and lives lost.

That asteroid is our current ecological crisis unfolding all around us. And this film is another warning to the world to take action at all levels.

You can watch Breaking Boundaries: The Science Of Our Planet on Netflix here

This article was written by Nicholas Carter on the PBN Website.

The natural historian will work with the UK as a host of COP26 – an event organized to ‘accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement’.

David Attenborough named People’s Advocate

He will address world leaders at major international events over the next six months and put forward a ‘compelling case’ for climate action.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Attenborough for inspiring ‘millions of people in the UK and around the world’ to help protect the planet for future generations. 

He added: “There is no better person to build momentum for further change as we approach the COP26 climate summit in November. 

“I am hugely grateful to Sir David for agreeing to be our People’s Advocate.”

Commenting on the role, Attenborough said he was ‘greatly honored’ to become the People’s Advocate. 

“There could not be a more important moment that we should have international agreement,” he added.

“The epidemic has shown us how crucial it is to find agreement among nations if we are to solve such worldwide problems. 

“But the problems that await us within the next 5 – 10 years are even greater.”

Attenborough then concluded: “It’s crucial that these meetings in Glasgow have success. And, that at last, the nations will come together to solve the crippling problems that the world now faces.”

Will David Attenborough criticize animal ag?

However, will the national treasure use his position to criticize animal agriculture and meat production?

Although Attenborough is not vegan, he has used his platform to advocate plant-based eating. 

The 94-year-old has ditched red meat and dubbed free-range animal products as ‘middle-class hypocrisy’.

He told The Times: “I eat fish and chicken, and my conscience does trouble me. I’m affluent enough to afford free-range, but it’s a middle-class hypocrisy.”

Moreover, in an interview with Radio Times, Attenborough said: “The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters. If we all ate only plants, we’d need only half the land we use at the moment.”

Paris Agreement

But, highlighting the perils of the meat industry is essential in fighting the climate crisis.

In fact, food expert Bruce Friedrich says meeting the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to ideally 1.5 degrees Ceclius is ‘imposisble’ unless meat production is reduced.

Animal agriculture is thought to be responsible for at least 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

‘The leading cause of desertification’

The Climate Healers position paper, by Dr. Sailesh Rao, has been published by the Journal of Ecological Society. 

It argues that the influence of the meat and dairy industry has ‘underestimated’ the environmental impact of livestock farming.

In a statement sent to PBN, Climate Healers said: “When people think of animal agriculture and climate change, they’ve been encouraged to consider it only from the perspective of the methane produced by the animals themselves. 

“This is a significant issue. Animal agriculture accounts for at least 37 percent of methane released annually, according to the FAO itself.

“However, it is only one of the negative impacts of animal agriculture. Animal agriculture is also the leading cause of desertification, habitat destruction, wildlife extinction, and ocean dead zones… All of which degrade the climate.”

COP26

The COP26 is being urged to offer exclusively plant-based foods.

At the time of writing, an online petition urgent the event to hire vegan caterers has garnered more than 1,400 signatures.

It states: “Disappointingly, previous UN Climate Change conferences have offered very little plant-based foods.

“COP26 presents an opportunity for the UK government to set a global example in Glasgow, one of most vegan-friendly cities in the world. 

“Halving consumption of meat, dairy products, and eggs in the European Union would achieve a 40 percent reduction in ammonia emissions and a 25–40 percent reduction in non-CO2 GHG emissions…”

You can sign the petition here

This article was written by Liam Gilliver on the PBN Website.