David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet is a lucid, insightful memoir that documents the author’s experience as a writer and broadcaster who helped establish natural history as a matter of public interest. He notes the declines in biodiversity that have marked each of his nine decades and argues that increasing biodiversity is the key to solving the climate crisis. Despite evidence to the contrary, Attenborough is optimistic about our ability to prevent a sixth mass extinction. The steps he recommends are all achievable if we have the political will. Unfortunately, none of them is politically easy. Can we limit fishing in a third of the ocean fisheries? Can we cut our meat consumption by a significant percentage? Can we stop deforestation and convert farmland to wilderness? If we can, we may ensure that the Anthropocene is not the shortest of ecological eras. ( )

Great production, well written and striking a good balance in a very difficult subject. At the same time i do not think the framing is realistic or convincing as far as positive future scenario.

I think in this sense it is still a bit like a documentary which does not need to actually empower but entertain as a priority, despite his sincere effort.

He does not touch many difficult trade offs and truths. Nor does he identify the benefits from some groups in environmental degradation. ( )

Very educational book. I Learned a lot about the gravity of our current problems but also about many new promising ways people are trying to make. It also convinced me to reduce meat in my diet. Make that a new new year resolution. I admire his passion and optimistic opinion about our future but I am not as optimistic about human nature as he is. Let’s hope humanity proves me wrong! ( )

If I don't give this five stars, then I cannot claim to know what I'm saving the fifth star for.

The two differences between a good climate change book and an average climate change book are simple; do they address carrying capacity, and do they have some solutions in mind? This one does, and does so elegantly. The solutions are a tad debatable, and that is the only flaw I can find.

You can hear the authors narration as you read. The book is well paced and does not dwell on the already overexposed symptoms, but calls out the root cause and makes suggestions. It teaches each point well. There is nothing for me to do but recommend. ( )

An interesting and very thought provoking book. An enjoyable read, if a little depressing. The first part is a brief history of David Attenborough’s career. The subsequent part of the book is about how man has brought the planet to the breaking known of ecological chaos. It also gives the broad brush strokes on how we can try and fix things.

It’s an enjoyable but scary read. The grand solutions put forward simply won’t work unless everyone gets behind them. Single countries simply cannot make a big impact. There’s still too much governmental parochialism for this all to work out. Even where it’s not governmental there’s conflict due to ideology or religion. The optimist in me sees we could achieve great things. The pessimist tells me that big industrial countries won’t want to lose the standards of living they have become accustomed to.

Good grief. If you can’t get (supposedly intelligent) people to behave responsibly acknowledge COVID-19 is a big problem when it’s killing thousand daily and you can see it; how on earth do you get them to take climate disaster and loss of biodiversity seriously?
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