In the spirit of Australian Wildlife Week we wanted to acknowledge and encourage you to watch David Attenborough's film 'A life on our planet', also known as his 'witness statement' and vision of the future.

What is the film about?

A short, sharp, and easy to understand lesson on climate change and what he has observed of the declining natural world for almost 100 years now. The best part? He expresses that it's NOT too late to act and win the battle against climate change! He provides a visual representation of what the world could look like if we DO and DON'T act now.

Whilst the film is confronting in parts, it makes us so happy that David Attenborough is using his powerful platform to spread the word. It creates so much hope and I have already seen the film touch so many people that struggled to understand the state of the natural world in the past.

What has already happened to the planet?

Attenborough has observed the natural world for almost 100 years now, so he expresses that this film is his 'witness statement'. He first noticed the effects of climate change in the 1970s when species he was filming were becoming harder and harder to find. Since then he has witnessed the following:

• Deforestation
• Population growth
• Overfishing
• Coral Bleaching
• Farming practices taking over mass amounts of land
• Replacing wild animals with tame animals. The population of wild animals has been slashed by 60% in the last 50 years.
• A huge decline in biodiversity
• The extinction of species that were once common
• Major melting of arctic ice

Worst of all, the planet has warmed by 1-degree Celcius in his lifetime.

It hit home when he said he could now travel by boat to an arctic islands that were impossible to reach in the past because they were permanently locked in the ice.

What will happen if we don't act on climate change?

The film provides a glimpse into the (not so far away future). It shows a timeline of what those born today could experience in the 2030's, 40's, 80's and so on! This includes mass extinctions, ice melts, extreme weather, and so on. We'll let you watch the film to see the visual representation of his predictions.

What will happen if we do act on climate change?

The best part about the film is that it expresses that IT'S NOT TOO LATE to take action and 'put things right'. If we learn to work with nature, instead of against nature. 

• The warming of the planet and acidification of the ocean will slow
• Less space will be needed to farm, which will leave more room for grasslands where wild animals can roam
• The health of the ocean will be restored to provide more fish for us all
• We will re-wild the world

Again, watch the movie to see the visual representation of how the world could it, it's pretty amazing!

What can we do?

Let's change the world (again) and build a future where both people and nature can thrive. Here are some of the things we can do to 're-wild' the world and win the battle on climate change! We've broken it down to show you how you can act on an individual level too.

• Make renewable power the only energy source.Just because you don't have solar panels on your roof doesn't mean you can't switch over to your energy providers renewable energy plan (you'll be surprised that most of them give you the option).
• Sustainable fishing is essential. Do you support sustainable fishing brands? check the certifications, do online research about the seafood you are buying when you purchase next. If there was a 'no fish' zone over one-third of our coastal seas, we would still have a supply of more than enough fish.
• Change of diet. The planet cannot support billions of meat-eaters. If we all minimised our meat consumption we would only need half the farming land we use at the moment. We're not saying go vegan, but if everyone had a few meat-free days each week it would make a massive difference!
• The education of young girls will improve family planning and help manage population numbers. There are so many ways you can support the education of young girls, CAMFED is one of many supporting girls education.

Watch the film to see the full HOW.

Keep on educating yourself, 2040 is another great film that provides hope and solutions for our future!

Did you know David Attenborough recently joined Instagram and now holds the record for gaining 1 million followers (4 hours) in the fastest time?! Follow him here...

Spread the word, help your friends understand the state of the planet... We've got this!  💪💪💪

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Sources:

www.theceomagazine.com/

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

www.greenmatters.com/