Oceans under greatest threat in history, warns Sir David Attenborough
The world’s oceans are
under the greatest threat in history, according to Sir
David Attenborough. The seas are a vital part of the global ecosystem,
leaving the future of all life on Earth dependent on humanity’s actions, he
says. Attenborough will
issue the warning in the final episode of the Blue Planet 2 series, which
details the damage being wreaked in seas around the globe by climate change,
plastic pollution, overfishing and even noise.
Previous BBC nature series
presented by Attenborough have sometimes
been criticised for treading too lightly around humanity’s damage to the
planet. But the final episode of the latest series is entirely dedicated to the
issue. “For years we thought
the oceans were so vast and the inhabitants so infinitely numerous that nothing
we could do could have an effect upon them. But now we know that was wrong,”
says Attenborough. “It is now clear our actions are having a significant impact
on the world’s oceans. [They] are under threat now as never before in human
history. Many people believe the oceans have reached a crisis point.”
Attenborough says:
“Surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet. The future of
humanity, and indeed all life on Earth, now depends on us.” BBC executives were
reportedly
concerned
about the series appearing to become politicised and ordered a
fact-check, which it passed. The series producer, Mark Brownlow, said it was
impossible to overlook the harm being caused in the oceans: “We just couldn’t
ignore it – it wouldn’t be a truthful portrayal of the world’s oceans. We are
not out there to campaign. We are just showing it as it is and it is quite
shocking.”
Brownlow said much of
the footage shot of albatross
chicksbeing killed by the plastic they mistake for food were too upsetting
to broadcast. The programme also filmed on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016,
witnessing the worst
bleaching event in its history… read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/05/oceans-under-greatest-threat-in-history-warns-sir-david-attenborough
