Global Warming

Having watched David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet on Netflix it became apparent how serious of an issue Climate change is. The stark descriptions of the damage we have already done to the planet given by Attenborough was hard to watch without feeling guilt and responsibility for the destruction of our planet. Throughout the poignant documentary I found myself wondering how did we allow our once beautiful planet become a ravaged shadow of it's former self. Attenborough's grim prediction for the future of the planet was, for me, the most powerful sequence of the documentary and stuck with me long after viewing. The reality that we are tiptoeing towards catastrophe made my stomach turn and left me feeling hopeless. I thought the tie in to Chernobyl was very clever as it proved that no matter how bad it looks we can fix our mistakes if we act, and act soon. The final segment of the documentary not only re-inspired hope in me that the documentary had early extinguished, it also lit a fire under me and made me want to change our faith.

Here David Attenborough discusses the dangers of rising temperatures on Sky News in 2019.

The world is a big place and the prospect of trying to fix a problem so enormous, I'll admit, is quite daunting. However David Attenborough makes this seemingly impossible challenge not only possible but very achievable. Obviously there are elements the common person has no control over such as the no fish zones the UN plan on implementing in European waters, or the integration of renewable energy sources like Solar Panels and Windmills. However small things such as our diets can go a long way in helping restore our planet to it's former beauty. I have begun using re-usable bottles for water rather than the plastic alternatives, My household has been recycling for as long as I can remember and I intent to continue that myself when I move out. As well as this I prefer to walk wherever I need to go so it's rare i use a car or bus. I know I can do more, for example my diet is meat heavy, something i need to cut down on as mentioned on the documentary. There is a lot of work to do for everyone, myself included, to get us out of this hole we've dug ourselves and I intend to do my part.

Sea Turtle in Ubatuba, Brazil (By Elsie C. Orabona)

It is apparent that the human race is a selfish species, we kill and take what we want without any regard for the consequences unless they directly affect us, this statement has countless examples throughout history to back it up, but none more relevant, in my opinion, than Global Warming. My hope is that our biggest weakness becomes our biggest strength and we put our mistakes right, if not for the good of the planet, then for the good of ourselves. As David Attenborough states in 'David Attenborough: A Life on our planet', "With or without us, the natural world will rebuild".