David Attenborough’s: A Life on Our Planet

David Attenborough’s: A Life on Our Planet

Please watch A Life on Our Planet (available on Netflix) and answer the following questions.

1. Where does the opening scene of this documentary take place? The opening scene of the documentary takes place in Pripyat, Ukraine.

1. Why is the location of the opening scene important? Explain. This location is important because, on Abril, 26th, 1986, the nuclear station in the neighboring city of Chernobyl exploded. Pripyat was evacuated and has been abandoned since then. Attenborough explains that the explosion was the consequence of bad planning and human error, but claims that this is only an isolated case. He explains that the real danger is losing the remaining wilderness —and biodiversity of the planet. This would also be the consequence of bad planning and human error, and would lead planet Earth to the same destiny of Pripyat: it will become inhabitable.

1. At the time of this film, how old was Attenborough? At the time of the film, David Attenborough was 93 years old of age.

1. In 1937:
   1. The world population was: 2.3 billion.
   2. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere was: 280 parts per billion.
   3. The remaining wilderness was: 66 %

1. When Attenborough was a boy, what did he search for near his home? Fossils.

1. How many mass extinctions have happened in the geologic past? There has been five mass extinction in the geologic past. 

1. Approximately how many years are there between each of these mass extinctions? There are approximately 100 million years between each mass extinction. The last one was 65 million years ago.

1. Approximately how old is the Earth? The Earth is approximately 4,000 million years old.
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3. Attenborough refers to “today” the modern world as to what? Holocene Era.

1. Why is polar ice important on Earth? Polar ice helps to keep the world temperature equilibrated. It helps to cool off the Earth.

1. What does Attenborough state be the most important human invention? Agriculture, as a consequence of the stations provided by the Holocene, and human’s understanding of them.

1. In 1954:
   1. The world population was: 2.7 billion.
   2. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere was: 310 parts per billion.
   3. The remaining wilderness was: 64 %

1. In 1960:
   1. The world population was: 3.0 billion.
   2. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere was: 315 parts per billion.
   3. The remaining wilderness was: 62 %

1. When did the Apollo space mission take place? Why was this an important global event? The Apollo space mission took place in December 1968. It was important because it was the first time humans could see the reality of plater Earth: a blue sphere insolated in blackness. It helped humanity understand that Earth is finite and that we are dependent on the finite natural world around us. 

1. In 1978:
   1. The world population was: 4.3 billion.
   2. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere was: 335 parts per billion.
   3. The remaining wilderness was: 55 %

1. Global News/media in beginning in the late 1960s was important for the environment/conservation in what ways? Global News/media in the late 1960s helped make people aware of the massive killing of animals such as whales. Once people were conscious of the natural world, they wished to protect it.

1. Orangutan mothers have been documented spending how many years with their young? Orangutan mothers spend 10 years with their young.

1. In the last several decades, what have humans been transforming vast amounts of tropical rainforest into? In the last several decades, humans have been transforming vast amounts of palm tree plantation.
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3. To date, approximately how much of the world’s rainforests have been cleared? 

To date, approximately half of the world’s rainforests have been cleared. It is the equivalent of 3 billion trees.

1. In 1997:
   1. The world population was: 5.9 billion.
   2. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere was: 360 parts per billion.
   3. The remaining wilderness was: 46 %

1. What are ocean hotspots and why are they important? Ocean hotspots are volumes of ocean warmed by the currents and filled by fish banks. They are important because the large fishes (predators) help to keep the ocean nourished and healthy.

1. Approximately how much of the oceans’ large fish have commercial fishing fleets removed from the ocean? Approximately 90 % of the oceans’ large fish have been removed from the ocean due to commercial fishing fleets.

1. In 1998, Attenborough and the Blue Planet film crew documented what event? In 1998, Attenborough and the Blue Planet film crew documented how the coral reef was turning white. The coral reef turns white when it dies. And the reason for this is the warning of the oceans.

1. What was a feature of all 5 mass extinctions in the geologic record? In all 5 mass extinctions, there has been a dangerous rise in the concentration of carbon and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

1. With continued large-scale human burning of fossil fuels, what will happen to global temperature? With continued large-scale human burning of fossil fuels, global temperature will continue to increase.

1. If global temperature continues to rise, what will happen to polar ice? If global temperature continues to rise, polar ice will continue to melt.

1. Compared to when Attenborough was born, how much warmer is Earth today? Compared to when Attenborough was born, the Earth is 1 ºC warmer.

1. Summer sea ice has reduced by how much over the last 40 years? Over the last 40 years, summer sea ice has reduced a 40 %

1. Attenborough states that humans have overfished approximately how much fish stocks? Attenborough states that humans have overfished approximately 30 % of fish stocks.

1. Attenborough states that humans cut down approximately how many trees each year? Attenborough states that humans cut down approximately 15 000 million trees each year.

1. What does Attenborough state that humans are replacing “wild” with? Attenborough states humans are replacing “wild” with “domestic”.

1. Approximately what percentage of birds on Earth are domestic? Approximately 70 % of birds on Earth are domestic.

1. In 2020:
   1. The world population is 7.8 billion.
   2. The concentration of carbon in the atmosphere is 415 parts per billion.
   3. The remaining wilderness is: 35 %

1. If business as usual continues, by 2035, it is predicted that much of the tropical rainforests will turn into what type of habitat? If business as usual continues, by 2035, it is predicted that the entirety of the tropical rainforest will turn into a dry savannah.

1. If business as usual continues, by 2035, what is predicted to happen to biodiversity? If business as usual continues, by 2035, it is predicted that biodiversity will decrease greatly.

1. Why is the thawing of permafrost bad for the planet? Thawing of permafrost is bad for the planet because it permits the release of large quantities of methane, a greenhouse gas extremely strong. This will accelerate global warming.

1. What will happen to Earth if soils continue to be overused? If soils continue to be overused, they will become exhausted and a global food crisis will appear.

1. Attenborough states that to restore stability to Earth, we must do what? Attenborough states that to restore stability to Earth, we must restore its biodiversity. We must rewild the world

1. If the present growth rate of the human population continues, how many people will there be on this planet by 2100? If the present growth rate of the human population continues, there will be 11 billion people on this planet by 2100.

1. Will the human population ever reach a maximum capacity? Explain. If there is nothing to control the human population to grow, it will continue to do so exponentially. But if the standard of living increases, then it is expected that the human population will reach a maximum capacity, and then it will start to peak for the first time, ever.

1. How does increasing the standard of living globally contribute to stabilizing the global population? Explain. Like healthcare and education increases, opportunities increase as well for people. And the birthrate decreases. This is already being seen in developed cultures such as the Japanese, which has not increased its population like other countries. As nations develop, people choose to have fewer children.

1. Near the end of this film, Attenborough provides some ways that we can help our planet provide three examples:
   1. We need to stop using fossil fuels and substitute them with renewable energy sources: sunlight, water, wind, and geothermal.

1. We need to help make oceans healthy again. This can be done by limiting the zones in which people can fish. By implementing a “no fishing” rule in 1/3 of our coastal seas, it is enough to permit wildness to develop and repopulate the zones designated to fish. 

1. We need to reduce the amount of meat we consume, and instead eat more plants. Plants require less space to grow. By doing this, we can recuperate enough space inland to reforest it. Forests are important because they help to reduce the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere.

1. What country is the second-largest exporter of food (despite its size)? Despite its size, the second-largest exporter of food is the Netherlands!

1. At the conclusion of this film, Attenborough says we must rediscover what? At the conclusion of this film, Attenborough says we must rediscover how to be sustainable.

1. What location does the last scene in this film take place in? Explain why this is significant. The last scene in this film takes place in Pripyat, Ukraine. It is significant because, at the beginning of the film, we were explained that this city was evacuated due to the explosion at Chernobyl. But during the 30 years the city has been abandoned by humans, the forest took over space, and animals have found a sanctuary. This teaches a lesson: However great our mistakes, nature will find a way to overcome them. Nature will endure. But can humans say the same? To thrive, everything around us needs to thrive as well. It is not enough to be intelligent, we need to be wise.