In a new film, conservationist Sir David Attenborough reflects on the way humans interact with the planet and the impact of every single act on the future of the eco-system.
Attenborough has visited every continent in the world and almost every country, exploring nature and the way humans and nature can live in harmony. The film, A Life On Our Planet, aims to guide viewers towards living more sustainably, which includes a plant-based diet.
Sir David Attenborough is one of the leading authorities on conservation in the world.
‘We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat eaters,’ Attenborough says. ‘If we had a mostly plant-based diet we could increase the yield of the land. We have an urgent need for free land… Nature is our biggest ally.’
According to the United Nations, the livestock sector contributes 14.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, driving climate change. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that ‘reducing meat and dairy consumption’ is one of the actions necessary to limit global temperature rises, according to Vancouver Humane Society.
Many consumers have started out by eating more sustainable meat sources, like chicken and pork, which are not grass-eating, and therefore do not emit the large amounts of methane that cows and sheep do. Choosing regenerative farmers as suppliers that produce meat in an ethical and holistic way is also gaining more traction.
‘We must restore biodiversity…We must rewild the world. And rewilding the world is easier than you think. A century from now our planet could be a wild place again,’ Attenborough said.
A Life On Our Planet will premier in cinemas in the UK on September 28 and be on Netflix later this year.
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