Sir David Attenborough (mod note - now climate change)

[Rianne]

At 90 years old he's sharp as a tack. Excellent segment on 60 Minutes last Sunday. If anyone encourages me to get on board about the environment, it's him. His lifelong career brought him to every continent and examines more species than I can even think of. His documentaries and series are stunningly beautiful. How better to learn of the earth we are losing so quickly?

 

[MBAustin]

He is a gem.

 

[stepford]

DW and I love David Attenborough and have watched his documentaries for decades, but wasn't his brother Richard "Lord Attenborough"?

 

[audreyh1]

Wow - I was afraid this was news of his death!

DW and I love David Attenborough and have watched his documentaries for decades, but wasn't his brother Richard "Lord Attenborough"?

Yes, he is Sir David Attenborough, not Lord Attenborough. His brother Richard was awarded a life peerage - not hereditary.

 

[Nemo2]

I liked his brother Richard who was also long lived, (died age 90).

 

[Rianne]

DW and I love David Attenborough and have watched his documentaries for decades, but wasn't his brother Richard "Lord Attenborough"?

Ah! My mistake. David is a "Sir" and is 94 and sharp as a tack. Lord Richard Attenborough passed at 90 in 2014. They were brothers. My post is about David Attenborough...sorry.

 

[f35phixer]

Wow - I was afraid this was news of his death!


Yes, he is Sir David Attenborough, not Lord Attenborough. His brother Richard was awarded a life peerage - not hereditary.

+1 - Don't do that again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love him too !

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Netflix will be airing "A Life On Our Plant" Oct 4 -

This terrifying documentary looks back over the 93-year-old’s career – but at its heart is a short, sharp, shocking lesson........
"I am David Attenborough and I’m 93. This is my witness statement.” There is a tremendously moving sense of finality about Attenborough’s terrifying new documentary on the climate emergency. It is being marketed as a retrospective, a look back at his life and 60-years-plus career. But make no mistake about its true agenda: Attenborough is here to deliver a stark warning that time is ticking for the planet

https://www.netflix.com/title/80216393

 

[Ian S]

When Richard Attenborough was mentioned I immediately thought of the 1963 film "The Great Escape!"

 

[Nemo2]

When Richard Attenborough was mentioned I immediately thought of the 1963 film "The Great Escape!"

I always remember him in Private's Progress 1956

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private's_Progress

 

[jollystomper]

When Richard Attenborough was mentioned I immediately thought of the 1963 film "The Great Escape!"

Maybe I am younger than you . I remember him for winning Academy Awards for Gandhi in the 1980s, and acting in Jurassic Park in the 90s.


I do enjoy David Attenborough's narration on the planet documentaries.

 

[Rianne]

Netflix will be airing "A Life On Our Plant" Oct 4 -
https://www.netflix.com/title/80216393

I'll watch this and feel completely powerless. Children in grade school, high school, and college aged kids are mad at the "greatest generation" who left them a mess. I don't have an answer to my nieces and nephews other than we didn't use our intelligence to save this planet and many species that rely on each other to exist. Where did humans go wrong, let me count the ways and look in the mirror.

 

[audreyh1]

I remember things were even worse. Didn’t a lot of water and air get cleaned up, pollution reduced, EPA stuff when we were young adults? Rivers on fire? Huge toxic waste sites cleaned up? It would have been even worse today.

 

[HawkOwl]

I remember things were even worse. Didn’t a lot of water and air get cleaned up, pollution reduced, EPA stuff when we were young adults? Rivers on fire? Huge toxic waste sites cleaned up? It would have been even worse today.

Yes, in the US and Europe. But buying manufactured products from overseas just exports pollution. As much as I would like to take pride in reduced pollution in the US, I fear much of it is merely a localized effect resulting from our shift from a manufacturing to a service economy. The pollution is still happening, just out of sight in Asia.

 

[calmloki]

I remember things were even worse. Didn’t a lot of water and air get cleaned up, pollution reduced, EPA stuff when we were young adults? Rivers on fire? Huge toxic waste sites cleaned up? It would have been even worse today.

I agree, and think about the grime of cities in the industrial revolution with all the coal smoke, which had to be horrible. Then I note that in 1965 (high school years for me) the world population at 3.324 billion was less than half our current population of 7.8 billion. So just to stay at the level of pollution we had then doesn't that mean we need to be twice as clean as then? Just too many darn people.

 

[harley]

I agree, and think about the grime of cities in the industrial revolution with all the coal smoke, which had to be horrible. Then I note that in 1965 (high school years for me) the world population at 3.324 billion was less than half our current population of 7.8 billion. So just to stay at the level of pollution we had then doesn't that mean we need to be twice as clean as then? Just too many darn people.

That will all be taken care of in about 180 years.

 

[calmloki]

That will all be taken care of in about 180 years.

Think they got the timeline wrong. Conspiracy theory: all the world's governments have decided to reduce population while avoiding war, which kills too many young people. Better to delete the old non-contributors and the infirm. Maybe a nice plague with a predilection for those groups. Covid isn't really up to speed yet, but give it time...

 

[audreyh1]

I agree, and think about the grime of cities in the industrial revolution with all the coal smoke, which had to be horrible. Then I note that in 1965 (high school years for me) the world population at 3.324 billion was less than half our current population of 7.8 billion. So just to stay at the level of pollution we had then doesn't that mean we need to be twice as clean as then? Just too many darn people.

Well, that’s basically what it comes down to.

 

[ERD50]

I'll watch this and feel completely powerless. Children in grade school, high school, and college aged kids are mad at the "greatest generation" who left them a mess. I don't have an answer to my nieces and nephews other than we didn't use our intelligence to save this planet and many species that rely on each other to exist. Where did humans go wrong, let me count the ways and look in the mirror.

What are you talking about? Our generation has seen vast improvements world wide. Have some pride (while admitting mistakes were made), and challenge them to do as well as we have done, and hopefully even better.

Here's some data:

https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta

Look through the measures, set each to "chart" and the timeline from 1955 (middle of the 'boomer' generation'), or your parent's generation if you want, and everything has improved. Life expectancy, Child mortality, Maternal mortality, Burden of disease, Infectious diseases, etc. How is any of that a "mess"?

I have not watched that video, and no doubt some areas have been ravaged by humans, some of us have done things horribly wrong. But don't paint it all in doom and gloom, and all of us are bad people. A lot has been accomplished, we have a lot to celebrate (while also having a lot of work to do to improve).

Here is my "acid test": You think the last generation has screwed things up? Fine, I offer to you a Time Machine. You take yourself and your family back to any time period, you know, before we screwed things up. Some idyllic place, that would be idyllic, except for:

People dying from routine infections, no hip/knee replacement for you, no heart surgery, no pacemaker. no cataract surgery! And, and if you are Black, well, go back to segregation, Jim Crow laws, etc, or maybe even slavery. Ah yes. "the good old times"!

It's not a perfect world, it never will be. We need to work to make things better - that's what I will tell my grand-kids. No apologies, just a realization that you need to keep your eyes open and do the best you can, each and every day.

-ERD50

 

[Rianne]

What are you talking about? Our generation has seen vast improvements world wide. Have some pride (while admitting mistakes were made), and challenge them to do as well as we have done, and hopefully even better.

Here's some data:

https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta

Look through the measures, set each to "chart" and the timeline from 1955 (middle of the 'boomer' generation'), or your parent's generation if you want, and everything has improved. Life expectancy, Child mortality, Maternal mortality, Burden of disease, Infectious diseases, etc. How is any of that a "mess"?

I have not watched that video, and no doubt some areas have been ravaged by humans, some of us have done things horribly wrong. But don't paint it all in doom and gloom, and all of us are bad people. A lot has been accomplished, we have a lot to celebrate (while also having a lot of work to do to improve).

Here is my "acid test": You think the last generation has screwed things up? Fine, I offer to you a Time Machine. You take yourself and your family back to any time period, you know, before we screwed things up. Some idyllic place, that would be idyllic, except for:

People dying from routine infections, no hip/knee replacement for you, no heart surgery, no pacemaker. no cataract surgery! And, and if you are Black, well, go back to segregation, Jim Crow laws, etc, or maybe even slavery. Ah yes. "the good old times"!

It's not a perfect world, it never will be. We need to work to make things better - that's what I will tell my grand-kids. No apologies, just a realization that you need to keep your eyes open and do the best you can, each and every day.

-ERD50

Get back to me in 30 years.

 

[stepford]

I have little doubt that things are now more comfy than ever for the gerontocracy (aka us). Artificial joints, cancer treatments and endless streaming options will make things ever so much nicer for us as we live out our lives in our well padded bubbles.

I somehow think the various species that have gone extinct or are well on their way won't be quite as impressed with these vast improvements.


Note: In the interest of civility (and with respect to our beleaguered moderators) I'm not saying anything about changes in economic opportunity or climate.

 

[Nemo2]

I'm not saying anything about changes in economic opportunity or climate.

Oh no? Too late.

 

[MichaelB]

Get back to me in 30 years.

We can have a forum get together.

 

[nap470]

What are you talking about? Our generation has seen vast improvements world wide. Have some pride (while admitting mistakes were made), and challenge them to do as well as we have done, and hopefully even better.

Here's some data:

https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta

Look through the measures, set each to "chart" and the timeline from 1955 (middle of the 'boomer' generation'), or your parent's generation if you want, and everything has improved. Life expectancy, Child mortality, Maternal mortality, Burden of disease, Infectious diseases, etc. How is any of that a "mess"?

I have not watched that video, and no doubt some areas have been ravaged by humans, some of us have done things horribly wrong. But don't paint it all in doom and gloom, and all of us are bad people. A lot has been accomplished, we have a lot to celebrate (while also having a lot of work to do to improve).

Here is my "acid test": You think the last generation has screwed things up? Fine, I offer to you a Time Machine. You take yourself and your family back to any time period, you know, before we screwed things up. Some idyllic place, that would be idyllic, except for:

People dying from routine infections, no hip/knee replacement for you, no heart surgery, no pacemaker. no cataract surgery! And, and if you are Black, well, go back to segregation, Jim Crow laws, etc, or maybe even slavery. Ah yes. "the good old times"!

It's not a perfect world, it never will be. We need to work to make things better - that's what I will tell my grand-kids. No apologies, just a realization that you need to keep your eyes open and do the best you can, each and every day.

-ERD50

+1

Thank you ERD50 for the link. Interesting data.

 

[6miths]

What are you talking about? Our generation has seen vast improvements world wide. Have some pride (while admitting mistakes were made), and challenge them to do as well as we have done, and hopefully even better.

Here's some data:

https://ourworldindata.org/health-meta

Look through the measures, set each to "chart" and the timeline from 1955 (middle of the 'boomer' generation'), or your parent's generation if you want, and everything has improved. Life expectancy, Child mortality, Maternal mortality, Burden of disease, Infectious diseases, etc. How is any of that a "mess"?

I have not watched that video, and no doubt some areas have been ravaged by humans, some of us have done things horribly wrong. But don't paint it all in doom and gloom, and all of us are bad people. A lot has been accomplished, we have a lot to celebrate (while also having a lot of work to do to improve).

Here is my "acid test": You think the last generation has screwed things up? Fine, I offer to you a Time Machine. You take yourself and your family back to any time period, you know, before we screwed things up. Some idyllic place, that would be idyllic, except for:

People dying from routine infections, no hip/knee replacement for you, no heart surgery, no pacemaker. no cataract surgery! And, and if you are Black, well, go back to segregation, Jim Crow laws, etc, or maybe even slavery. Ah yes. "the good old times"!

It's not a perfect world, it never will be. We need to work to make things better - that's what I will tell my grand-kids. No apologies, just a realization that you need to keep your eyes open and do the best you can, each and every day.

-ERD50

This is certainly true from the view of the individual human. The overall question is whether it is true for the planet's other species or the planet itself (not that the planet cares it will continue regardless).

The site is an extension of Gapminder which people have linked to many times in the past. If you link to the Grapher site, the example of child mortality is given which looks great but the second graph is CO2 emissions which is likely having, and going to have, major impacts in the next few hundred years.

More locally we have done very well with air and water quality but as pointed out, a fair portion of this has to do with off-shoring heavy industry. We have also made some major mis-steps such as our use of plastics.

And agree with the final point, we must all be vigilant and and do our best to make positive changes.