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Economist Podcasts

The Economist Asks: Sir David Attenborough

Economist Podcasts

The Economist

News & Politics, News

4.44.9K Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2020

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For decades Sir David Attenborough has brought the natural world into people’s homes. But his upcoming film, “A Life On Our Planet”, offers a stark message about human impact on the environment. Anne McElvoy asks the godfather of natural history television where he draws the line between wonder and warning. Does his work have the power to change hearts and minds or is he preaching to the choir? They talk about whether the climate could be the only winner from the global covid-19 pandemic and why he has stopped trying to get through to President Trump. Plus, a knock at the door and an unexpected question.


David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet” will be released in cinemas and on Netflix later this year. Please subscribe to The Economist for full access to print, digital and audio editions: economist.com/radiooffer



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Transcript

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0:00.0

News of the global climate crisis can leave us feeling helpless.

0:04.8

Too much negativity can trigger our eco-anxiety, leaving us paralyzed when we need to act.

0:10.8

This is why EONNEXT is in search of better news to power up for change.

0:15.8

Did you know global efforts to repair the ozone layer are on cost to succeed according

0:20.4

to the UN?

0:21.6

Facing out ozone-depleting chemicals will ensure protection from harmful rays across

0:26.6

much of the world by 2040.

0:29.2

If you're feeling impacted by eco-anxiety, EONNEXT have created a range of resources,

0:34.7

such as guided meditations.

0:36.6

Just search power up for change in your podcasting app.

0:48.2

It's hard to imagine a time in TV when Sir David Attenborough wasn't on our screens.

0:53.9

Since the early 1950s when the first grainy black and white images made their way into people's

0:58.6

living rooms, he's been loping through jungles and across savannas in hushed, excited

1:04.0

tones, introducing generations of people to the natural world around them.

1:10.8

He's had more than a dozen species named after him, from a dinosaur, the Attenborough

1:15.1

Soros, to a carnivorous plant that's big enough to digest rats and shrews.

1:22.0

Over the years, the work of Sir David Attenborough and others has helped raise awareness

1:26.6

of the world and our impact on it.

1:29.2

But that impact continues to increase.

1:32.0

In his lifetime, global population has tripled the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

1:37.5

has increased by a third.

1:39.8

So at 93, David Attenborough has a stark message.

...

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