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

Attenborough reflects on his personal history, remarking that, while he was born in the Holocene, he will end his life in the Anthropocene (see Index of Terms). That is, his life has seen the triumphant rise of humanity as the dominant force on Earth, a trajectory that might ironically and tragically lead to “the ultimate disappearance of human civilisation” (216). However, as the perennial optimist, Attenborough suggests that this tragic end can be avoided. Nations must work together to bring about some of these fundamental changes in order to restore balance on Earth. The stakes are high: “We often talk of saving the planet,” Attenborough writes, “but the truth is that we must do these things to save ourselves” (218). He reminds us of Pripyat, the Ukrainian town built around Chernobyl, where the humans are all gone—but nature endures. Ultimately, Attenborough’s desire to rewild the world and to restore biodiversity to the planet is about salvaging the future of humanity.