A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future
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- Create Date：2021-07-10 06:54:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Attenborough
- ISBN：1529108284
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Summary
See the world。 Then make it better。
'I am 94。 I've had an extraordinary life。 It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary。
As a young man， I felt I was out there in the wild， experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion。 The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us， barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places， its biodiversity。
I have been witness to this decline。 A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement， and my vision for the future。 It is the story of how we came to make this， our greatest mistake - and how， if we act now， we can yet put it right。
We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited。
All we need is the will to do so。'
'I am 94。 I've had an extraordinary life。 It's only now that I appreciate how extraordinary。
As a young man， I felt I was out there in the wild， experiencing the untouched natural world - but it was an illusion。 The tragedy of our time has been happening all around us， barely noticeable from day to day - the loss of our planet's wild places， its biodiversity。
I have been witness to this decline。 A Life on Our Planet is my witness statement， and my vision for the future。 It is the story of how we came to make this， our greatest mistake - and how， if we act now， we can yet put it right。
We have one final chance to create the perfect home for ourselves and restore the wonderful world we inherited。
All we need is the will to do so。'
Reviews
Chloe
，
I found this book very educational。 I am a biology A-level student - so understood the majority of the content， however it may be more difficult for people with less knowledge - that said， I loved learning about the things we should be doing as a community to help save the planet， and it helped to inspire me to change my ways to defend my future。
Christine
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Very informative and scary。 Tossed between three and four stars
Stephie Eliza
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This book should be a mandatory read/listen to/experience if you want to live on this planet。
Lesley
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it has given me a lot of food for thought。 I have watched David Attenborourgh on TV and enjoyed many of the interesting places he has filmed so the first part of the book took me on that journey recalling many of the programmes 。I liked the inclusion of the black and white pictures throughout the text and the glossy coloured pictures were also a highlight。 The author has given us much food for thought in the sections What Lies Ahead and a Vision For the future I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it has given me a lot of food for thought。 I have watched David Attenborourgh on TV and enjoyed many of the interesting places he has filmed so the first part of the book took me on that journey recalling many of the programmes 。I liked the inclusion of the black and white pictures throughout the text and the glossy coloured pictures were also a highlight。 The author has given us much food for thought in the sections What Lies Ahead and a Vision For the future and I believe we all have a role to try and live more sustainably to save the planet。 This is a compelling read which I thoroughly recommend ， for any age group 。 。。。more
Michael Bernard
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It's David Attenborough。 No further comment needed。 It's David Attenborough。 No further comment needed。 。。。more
Natalie
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😦🥺😨😰😥😢😭😫
Craig
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This book is split into two main sections， as the title suggests。First， David recounts in short chapters some key events of his life， accompanied with observations on the pace of destruction of the planet by humanity。 Most arresting are the statistics on wilderness loss and carbon emissions， thrown in deliberately harshly。 The text is spare and purposefully so - there's no escaping the reality that the planet is being denuded of natural life and putting us at severe risk in the process。 I'd have This book is split into two main sections， as the title suggests。First， David recounts in short chapters some key events of his life， accompanied with observations on the pace of destruction of the planet by humanity。 Most arresting are the statistics on wilderness loss and carbon emissions， thrown in deliberately harshly。 The text is spare and purposefully so - there's no escaping the reality that the planet is being denuded of natural life and putting us at severe risk in the process。 I'd have liked a bit more detail on David's own biographical life， but I guess that's not the point of the book。The second part of the book is where David outlines the ways the planet could be saved。 We must learn to live alongside nature rather than exploiting it， and the proposals put forward for doing so are ambitious and persuasive。 It's a comprehensive vision， covering fishing and farmland， industry and population。 This is the part of the book where I learned the most。It was a compelling and impactful read。 。。。more
Jeff Matlow
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David Attenborough is a world gem。 His voice is synonymous with the science and understanding of earth and humans’ relationship with it。 This book is a memoir of his life as much as it’s a memoir of the earth。 He talks through the past， present and likely future of the earth - it’s living beings and it’s environment - based on what humans have done to destroy it over the past thousands of years。 The data he provides is scary。 More than scary。 He gives an extremely convincing account of how in ju David Attenborough is a world gem。 His voice is synonymous with the science and understanding of earth and humans’ relationship with it。 This book is a memoir of his life as much as it’s a memoir of the earth。 He talks through the past， present and likely future of the earth - it’s living beings and it’s environment - based on what humans have done to destroy it over the past thousands of years。 The data he provides is scary。 More than scary。 He gives an extremely convincing account of how in just one or two generations from now， the world as we know it will be significantly more uninhabitable than it is now。 His point is not only that it is imperative we make changes but that the changes we need to make our within our power to do。 I think this is an important book。 I am quite liberal and concerned with the environment - this book opened up my eyes even more。 I’m hoping others， even less liberal than me， will read it and have the same opinion。 David Attenborough does not stand alone in his thoughts， but his voice is an important one to share the immediacy in the message。 。。。more
John Moran
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In comparison to the accompanying film， this book packs a bigger punch。 It allows itself more time to delve into the threats waiting for us and the work that can be done to prevent them。 I found the 'peak human' segment particularly interesting。 It would have been pretty cool if some parts of this book were written by the people behind the innovations and research。 In comparison to the accompanying film， this book packs a bigger punch。 It allows itself more time to delve into the threats waiting for us and the work that can be done to prevent them。 I found the 'peak human' segment particularly interesting。 It would have been pretty cool if some parts of this book were written by the people behind the innovations and research。 。。。more
Therese C
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Everyone should read this book。
Rima
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While the descriptions of how we have wreaked havoc on our environment are depressing and scary， there is hope for the future。。。if political leaders people are willing to lose their focus on making economic growth the main goal。 This books provides lots of insight on many factors affecting the environment and an interesting look at David Attenborough's career。 Bonus: he narrates the audiobook。 While the descriptions of how we have wreaked havoc on our environment are depressing and scary， there is hope for the future。。。if political leaders people are willing to lose their focus on making economic growth the main goal。 This books provides lots of insight on many factors affecting the environment and an interesting look at David Attenborough's career。 Bonus: he narrates the audiobook。 。。。more
Round Lake Area Public Library
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To hear our review on this title please listen to our podcast。https://anchor。fm/quick-picks/episode。。。 To hear our review on this title please listen to our podcast。https://anchor。fm/quick-picks/episode。。。 。。。more
Guy Bathgate
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A wonderful and worrying look at the state of our planet now， with a very positive outlook on how we can make it right。 An inspirational book that everyone should read， no matter what they think of the situation in the world at present。
Hadis Farokhi
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Eye-opening and enlightening！ These are very important issues of our time but most of us are blind to them。 I had heard a lot about environmental issues before， but nothing awakened me like Attenborough's witness statement。 This book should be translated into all languages！ Eye-opening and enlightening！ These are very important issues of our time but most of us are blind to them。 I had heard a lot about environmental issues before， but nothing awakened me like Attenborough's witness statement。 This book should be translated into all languages！ 。。。more
Pauline （Polly）
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Just finished this audio book。 I wanted to read/listen sooner （wish I had） but so glad I did now。 Wish I read/listened to the “glossary” of terms first but I still understood the concepts before hearing their full descriptions。 I wish everyone would read this and then share with everyone they know so they can also read this （I listen free via the library-yay）！Some parts are depressing but that’s because he’s explaining reality- fact-based science and it’s not easy to hear。 The first section is v Just finished this audio book。 I wanted to read/listen sooner （wish I had） but so glad I did now。 Wish I read/listened to the “glossary” of terms first but I still understood the concepts before hearing their full descriptions。 I wish everyone would read this and then share with everyone they know so they can also read this （I listen free via the library-yay）！Some parts are depressing but that’s because he’s explaining reality- fact-based science and it’s not easy to hear。 The first section is very dramatic but helps set the stage。 He goes back to the beginning in the end so everything is summed up well。 I did love that he proposed so many solutions。 This book was definitely not too technical （the glossary will help everyone） and it’s not too simple either。 These are big problems and issues。I’m probably never going to stop eating red meat （it’s so yummy） but we do eat a lot less now。 I love chicken， fish， and dairy but we did switch to almond milk （apparently that’s not much better for the environment- that’s not listed in this book- but it is better on our stomachs）。 I thought the solutions to over-fishing were amazing and love that there are proven case studies。 We never wanted children but that whole section was fascinating- scary- but interesting。There was a recent mudslide in Japan and I am not surprised that one possible contributing factor was cutting down too many trees。 It’s a simple concept we learned as kids （The Lorax- hello？！） but money is usually the reason people continue to do the wrong thing。 The wildfires， horrible drought， and extreme temperatures here in Oregon/the Western US have convinced me this book is 100% accurate- we need to take action （and elect the right people） now。 This book helps explain what other countries have done successfully to solve some of their problems but the US has to do its part now。 I am definitely not an AOC/extreme progressive- I am a moderate Democrat and am so glad Trump and many of his mistakes are out。 The US needs to rejoin the rest of the world to help work on these problems。 If anyone thinks our economy will tank bu going green- they haven’t read this book or the hard facts and science that this book is based on。I really enjoyed the wolves being brought back into the wild to help balance the deer/eco-system。 The farming issue was scary to learn about， along with the rainforest depletion， but hopefully some of those areas can be brought back。Listening to the facts and statistics in the beginning of the book was very eye-opening。 Transportation and infrastructure are huge issues and they are touched on in the book。 I am so glad that it looks like the US is moving forward to solve some of those problems。 I loved how this book described Singapore and the UK and how their cities are becoming greener。 We believe it is better to live close to where you work or at least have good public transportation to/from work。 The gas， money， and time saved is amazing and it helps the environment。 We have definitely become less consumer-oriented but we are still not at the “fix everything yourself” stage。I already re-read this once and will re-read it again。 Please share！ 。。。more
Wan Peter
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DA life time work is commendable。 A master of narrative。
Agris Kalnins
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The future ahead of us is scary。 But this book gives well argumented ideas how to stop us driving ourselves into extinction。 Probably many of the things in this book are not groundbreaking， but the way it is written together with interesting drawings and pictures it got me hooked。 I blazed through the whole book in one afternoon and it has actually changed some of the opinions I had before。 Very well done！
David Ryan
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Many readers have declared this book to be “A must read for all。” Deservedly so。 Attenborough documents in considerable detail how we are destroying our beloved planet on land， sea and air。 Alas， with increasing speed， chiefly by “dewilding" our environment， resulting in a progressive loss of biodiversity。He makes a convincing plea for making dramatic alterations in our present course in a low-key， conversational tone， encapsulating what could happen worldwide if we don’t change our ways。 His ar Many readers have declared this book to be “A must read for all。” Deservedly so。 Attenborough documents in considerable detail how we are destroying our beloved planet on land， sea and air。 Alas， with increasing speed， chiefly by “dewilding" our environment， resulting in a progressive loss of biodiversity。He makes a convincing plea for making dramatic alterations in our present course in a low-key， conversational tone， encapsulating what could happen worldwide if we don’t change our ways。 His arguments are well grounded， far reaching， and convincing。 A survival manual for the human race — essential reading to be sure。 Highly recommended。 The very day I read the book， two related articles appeared in the New York Times。 The first， （“Arctic’s ‘Last Ice Area’ Is Not Resistant to Global Warming。”） reporting that new research suggests the Wandel Sea north of Greenland and its nearby waters， often called the “last ice area，” are not as resilient to warming as previously thought。 The second， （“Trees Save Lives。 Yet Cities Aren’t Saving Lives。”） documenting that America’s largest cities are warming at twice the rate of the planet as a whole。 。。。more
Barbara
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A great deal to consider and the disaster it spells out is not pretty
Dennis
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We regard the Earth as our planet， run by humankind for humankind。 There is little left for the rest of the living world。 This book is Sir David Attenborough’s witness statement of anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss that has happened during his lifetime。 In the blink of an eye， from a geological viewpoint， the world has changed drastically。In the first part of the book he takes us on a journey to revisit some important moments of his life， starting in 1937 when as a young boy he d We regard the Earth as our planet， run by humankind for humankind。 There is little left for the rest of the living world。 This book is Sir David Attenborough’s witness statement of anthropogenic climate change and biodiversity loss that has happened during his lifetime。 In the blink of an eye， from a geological viewpoint， the world has changed drastically。In the first part of the book he takes us on a journey to revisit some important moments of his life， starting in 1937 when as a young boy he developed a fascination with fossils。 We then see how he joined the BBC and as a naturalist and broadcaster traveled the world to bring animal and plant life on Earth into people’s living rooms。 He also talks about other significant events like the Apollo 8 mission or the Chernobyl disaster。 All these stories are always connected to the topic of the book and the reader learns about the importance of biodiversity and how with the Holocene the living world settled into a gentle， reliable annual rhythm。 Before we disrupted it。At the beginning of every chapter Attenborough quotes three numbers and their development over the years， which is quite disconcerting。 I’ll give you these numbers for three dates。 The year an eleven-year-old David Attenborough explored the countryside around Leicester， turned over stones， excited about what he might find under them; the year I was born; the year the United States of America under then-president Donald Trump effectively withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation， because it would “undermine” the U。S。 economy。 Those are the numbers:1937:World population: 2。3 billionCarbon in atmosphere: 280 parts per millionRemaining wilderness: 66%1982:World population: 4。6 billionCarbon in atmosphere: 341 parts per millionRemaining wilderness: Around 50% （I couldn’t find the exact number）2020:World population: 7。8 billionCarbon in atmosphere: 415 parts per millionRemaining wilderness: 35%The natural world is fading。 The evidence is all around。 It has happened during my lifetime。 I have seen it with my own eyes。 It will lead to our destruction。 This is what the second part of the book is about。 The things that are expected to happen until the year 2100， another blink of an eye， if we don’t change our ways。But ultimately this is an optimistic book。 Because Mr。 Attenborough believes that we can and will change。 We really have no other option。 In the third part of the book he shows what is already done in parts of the world and what has to be done globally to put things right。This book is the story of how we came to make this， our greatest mistake， and how， if we act now， we can yet put it right。 Everyone should read it。It gives a good overview of the things that can be done to make the world a better place again， is highly readable， informative， inspiring， and comes from the heart。"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest。 It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living。" 。。。more
Meg
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“The next few decades represent a final opportunity to build a stable home for ourselves and restore the rich， healthy and wonderful world that we inherited from our distant ancestors。 Our future on the planet， the only place as far as we know where life of any kind exists， is at stake”Simultaneously terrifying and hopeful， this is a must read for everyone。 I won’t lie I was scared to pick this one up。 Climate change absolutely terrifies me and as an individual makes me feel quite powerless。 But “The next few decades represent a final opportunity to build a stable home for ourselves and restore the rich， healthy and wonderful world that we inherited from our distant ancestors。 Our future on the planet， the only place as far as we know where life of any kind exists， is at stake”Simultaneously terrifying and hopeful， this is a must read for everyone。 I won’t lie I was scared to pick this one up。 Climate change absolutely terrifies me and as an individual makes me feel quite powerless。 But I should’ve had more faith in Attenborough’s way with words that allows him to write about difficult topics in a way that isn’t painful to read。 Attenborough is really clear that the responsibility is on Government’s， corporations and the small percentage of humankind with vast wealth to make the difference。 A really accessible read on the most important of all topics。 。。。more
Katherine erebus Rushworth
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This is essential reading。 David Attenborough is an icon of our time。 It's with utter gratitude that I listened to him narrate his own book at the age of 94， and at the time of writing this he is 95 and still fighting the good fight。He recounts how he got to be who he is， the most known media natural scientist in the world， and he continues to use his influence and unique style to humbly deliver the messages that humanity needs to hear about our natural world。When I said I was reading this book This is essential reading。 David Attenborough is an icon of our time。 It's with utter gratitude that I listened to him narrate his own book at the age of 94， and at the time of writing this he is 95 and still fighting the good fight。He recounts how he got to be who he is， the most known media natural scientist in the world， and he continues to use his influence and unique style to humbly deliver the messages that humanity needs to hear about our natural world。When I said I was reading this book to my friends at my local library， one person asked "Isn't he about the most credible person alive today？"。 Whatever you think about the man， this certainly seems to be a well researched and deeply invested account of the effects that humanity has had on our planet's ecology。Attenborough likens our whole world to the story of Pripyat， the town that was at the heart of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster。 If we are in a place so comfortable that we do nothing， we will blunder into our own destruction。 。。。more
Samantha Montgomery
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Amazing but scary book to read。David Attenborough is one of the worlds treasures that needs to be listened too！！ We need to save the planet， re wild our wilderness and save us and our planet！Everyone on Earth should read this book and do something to help climate change and change their outlook on their own personal lives to help the lives of others， animals and the worlds future！
Zack
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An easy read giving some hope in these dark times。The top-rated review that this book is rubbish because Attenborough is not a vegan is quite plainly a stupid argument。 We aren't going to transition billions to a vegan diet， and trying to do so just makes enemies or indifference of those who would be allies。More vegans is not a bad thing。 Throwing out the baby with the bathwater because the person making the argument does not have your same world view is moronic at best。 An easy read giving some hope in these dark times。The top-rated review that this book is rubbish because Attenborough is not a vegan is quite plainly a stupid argument。 We aren't going to transition billions to a vegan diet， and trying to do so just makes enemies or indifference of those who would be allies。More vegans is not a bad thing。 Throwing out the baby with the bathwater because the person making the argument does not have your same world view is moronic at best。 。。。more
Sara
，
thanks king， this book covered the entire IB geography syllabus I learnt in one year😳
TheSpectacledReader
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This is a vital book。
Richard Barnes
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In many ways this book is plain depressing。 The first half is a solemn trudge through the awful detail of how humanity is royally screwing up the planet。 This is no OTT Green/ woke agenda driven rant but the testimony of a man who has been there and seen the decline in action。 However， Attenbrough follows up with a plan of hope – the damage can be reversed; it’s not an easy task but it’s also NOT impossible。 The thinking is in place， the evidence shows what can be done via re-wilding on a global In many ways this book is plain depressing。 The first half is a solemn trudge through the awful detail of how humanity is royally screwing up the planet。 This is no OTT Green/ woke agenda driven rant but the testimony of a man who has been there and seen the decline in action。 However， Attenbrough follows up with a plan of hope – the damage can be reversed; it’s not an easy task but it’s also NOT impossible。 The thinking is in place， the evidence shows what can be done via re-wilding on a global scale – what is needed is the will。Attenbrough’s style is rightfully lauded; this could have been the worst of books， overly dry and bogged down in scientific jargon and self-righteously preachy – but Attenbrough respects his audience enough to not dumb it down， but also make the content accessible。 He doesn’t preach， just presents simple truth。A sobering read， but one that should make us all sit and ask what we can do。 I’ll be taking a closer look at my shopping choices， what I’m recycling and what else I can do。 。。。more
Madhumita
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This was such an interesting book which gave me a lot to think about。 I was fascinated by the "witness statement" part of the book， where Attenborough described his experiences over the past decades， but I was also shocked at how much had changed in the natural world over his lifetime。 What I thought was really interesting was the idea of shifting baseline syndrome- that we think the amount of wildlife and biodiversity we see is normal， because that's what we're used to， but in fact there was mu This was such an interesting book which gave me a lot to think about。 I was fascinated by the "witness statement" part of the book， where Attenborough described his experiences over the past decades， but I was also shocked at how much had changed in the natural world over his lifetime。 What I thought was really interesting was the idea of shifting baseline syndrome- that we think the amount of wildlife and biodiversity we see is normal， because that's what we're used to， but in fact there was much more centuries ago。 I can imagine that this would be the case in the future too。 The last part of the book was especially interesting to me， since it showed that even though humans have caused many problems on our planet through industrialization， if we work at it we will be able to reverse the effects。 。。。more
Christel Van Gemeren
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very good book for anyone who cares about our planet。 from beautiful and captivating animal stories to the state we live in now and what we can do about it。 I absolutely recommend it。 i also highly recommend to watch the documentary with the same title， if you haven't already very good book for anyone who cares about our planet。 from beautiful and captivating animal stories to the state we live in now and what we can do about it。 I absolutely recommend it。 i also highly recommend to watch the documentary with the same title， if you haven't already 。。。more
Anne
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