119-548: Green Planet may refer to: E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet , a 1985 novel and sequel to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial The Queen's Green Planet , a 2018 documentary with David Attenborough at Buckingham Palace Garden Surviving Mars: Green Planet , a 2019 expansion pack for the video game Surviving Mars The Green Planet (TV series) ,
238-419: A BBC One wildlife series that ran for 253 episodes between 1977 and 2005. At its peak, it drew a weekly audience of eight to ten million, and the 1987 episode "Meerkats United" was voted the best wildlife documentary of all time by BBC viewers. He has narrated over 50 episodes of Natural World , BBC Two's flagship wildlife series. Its forerunner, The World About Us , was created by Attenborough in 1969, as
357-515: A BirdLife International project to stop the killing of albatross by longline fishing boats. He gave support to WWF 's campaign to have 220,000 square kilometres of Borneo 's rainforest designated a protected area . He serves as a vice-president of The Conservation Volunteers , vice-president of Fauna and Flora International , president of Butterfly Conservation and president emeritus of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust . In 2003, Attenborough launched an appeal on behalf of
476-488: A Peabody Award . Prompted by an enthusiastic ornithologist at the BBC Natural History Unit, Attenborough then turned his attention to birds. As he was neither a birdwatcher nor a bird expert, he decided he was better qualified to make The Life of Birds (1998) on the theme of behaviour. The documentary series won a second Peabody Award the following year. The order of the remaining "Life" series
595-545: A 2013 interview with the Radio Times , Attenborough described humans as a "plague on the Earth", and described the act of sending food to famine -stricken countries as "barmy" for population reasons. He called for more debate about human population growth, saying that since he "first started making programmes 60 years ago, the human population has tripled." According to Attenborough, improving women's rights around
714-485: A 2022 nature documentary series presented by David Attenborough Green Planet Energy , a German electric utility The Green Planet, Dubai , an indoor zoo and garden with an artificial bio-dome in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Green Planet . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
833-647: A clause inserted in his contract that would allow him to continue making programmes on an occasional basis. Later the same year he filmed elephants in Tanzania, and in 1969 he made a three-part series on the cultural history of the Indonesian island of Bali . For the 1971 film A Blank on the Map , he joined the first Western expedition to a remote highland valley in New Guinea to seek out a lost tribe . BBC Two
952-463: A faster rate than they are consumed". Solar power , wind power , hydroelectricity , geothermal energy, and biomass are widely agreed to be the main types of renewable energy. Renewable energy often displaces conventional fuels in four areas: electricity generation , hot water / space heating , transportation , and rural (off-grid) energy services. Although almost all forms of renewable energy cause much fewer carbon emissions than fossil fuels,
1071-513: A final section of the work. He also narrated Wild Karnataka , a documentary about the Karnataka forest area. In 2019, Attenborough's one-off film documentary about climate change for BBC One called Climate Change – The Facts was aired; the tone of the documentary was significantly graver than previous work for the BBC. This was followed by Extinction: The Facts , which is partly based on
1190-399: A five-part earth science series for BBC One. Attenborough was a key figure in the build-up to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), and gave a speech at the opening ceremony. In his speech he stated that humans were "the greatest problem solvers to have ever existed on Earth" and spoke of his optimism for the future, finishing by saying "In my lifetime I've witnessed
1309-560: A freelance broadcaster and started work on his next project, a trip to Indonesia with a crew from the Natural History Unit. It resulted in the 1973 series Eastwards with Attenborough , which was similar in tone to the earlier Zoo Quest ; the main difference was the introduction of colour. Attenborough stated that he wanted to work in Asia, because previous nature documentaries had mostly focused on Africa. That year, Attenborough
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#17327810151801428-437: A given time. Solar energy can only be captured during the day, and ideally in cloudless conditions. Wind power generation can vary significantly not only day-to-day, but even month-to-month. This poses a challenge when transitioning away from fossil fuels: energy demand will often be higher or lower than what renewables can provide. Both scenarios can cause electricity grids to become overloaded, leading to power outages . In
1547-900: A large portion of the total, such as Kenya (43%) and Indonesia (5%). Technical advances may eventually make geothermal power more widely available. For example, enhanced geothermal systems involve drilling around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) into the Earth, breaking apart hot rocks and extracting the heat using water. In theory, this type of geothermal energy extraction could be done anywhere on Earth. There are also other renewable energy technologies that are still under development, including enhanced geothermal systems , concentrated solar power , cellulosic ethanol , and marine energy . These technologies are not yet widely demonstrated or have limited commercialization. Some may have potential comparable to other renewable energy technologies, but still depend on further breakthroughs from research, development and engineering. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are
1666-589: A long-lasting increase in public, media and political attention to plastic pollution . Attenborough narrated the 2018 five-part series Dynasties , each episode dealing with one species in particular. In 2021, he presented the three-part series Attenborough's Life in Colour , and The Mating Game , a five-part series. Attenborough returned to prehistoric life with Dinosaurs: The Final Day and Prehistoric Planet aired in April and May 2022 respectively. By
1785-638: A more energy-dense biofuel like ethanol. Wood is the most significant biomass energy source as of 2012 and is usually sourced from a trees cleared for silvicultural reasons or fire prevention . Municipal wood waste – for instance, construction materials or sawdust – is also often burned for energy. The biggest per-capita producers of wood-based bioenergy are heavily forested countries like Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Austria, and Denmark. Bioenergy can be environmentally destructive if old-growth forests are cleared to make way for crop production. In particular, demand for palm oil to produce biodiesel has contributed to
1904-568: A more prominent role in Frozen Planet , a major series on the natural history of the polar regions ; Attenborough appeared on screen and authored the final episode, in addition to performing voiceover duties. Attenborough introduced and narrated the Unit's first 4K production Life Story . For Planet Earth II (2016), Attenborough returned as narrator and presenter, with the main theme music composed by Hans Zimmer . In October 2014,
2023-506: A new type of geothermal power which does not require natural hot water reservoirs or steam to generate power. Most of the underground heat within drilling reach is trapped in solid rocks, not in water. EGS technologies use hydraulic fracturing to break apart these rocks and release the heat they contain, which is then harvested by pumping water into the ground. The process is sometimes known as "hot dry rock" (HDR). Unlike conventional geothermal energy extraction, EGS may be feasible anywhere in
2142-484: A producer for the Talks department, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. His early projects included the quiz show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter, a series about folk music presented by Alan Lomax . Attenborough's association with natural history programmes began when he produced and presented the three-part series Animal Patterns. The studio-bound programme featured animals from London Zoo , with
2261-447: A programme which highlighted the plight of endangered species to the BBC's Saving Planet Earth project in 2007, the 50th anniversary of the Natural History Unit. In 2019, Attenborough narrated Our Planet , an eight-part documentary series, for Netflix . In contrast to much of his prior work for the BBC, this series emphasised the destructive role of human activities throughout the series. Before, he would often note concerns in
2380-409: A range of construction strategies and technologies that aim to optimize the distribution of solar heat in a building. Examples include solar chimneys , orienting a building to the sun, using construction materials that can store heat , and designing spaces that naturally circulate air . From 2020 to 2022, solar technology investments almost doubled from USD 162 billion to USD 308 billion, driven by
2499-572: A scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge in 1945 to study geology and zoology and obtained a degree in natural sciences . In 1947, he was called up for national service in the Royal Navy and spent two years stationed in North Wales and the Firth of Forth . In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel. The couple had two children, Robert and Susan. Jane died in 1997. Robert
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#17327810151802618-453: A series on tribal art ( The Tribal Eye , 1975) and another on the voyages of discovery ( The Explorers , 1975). He presented a BBC children's series about cryptozoology entitled Fabulous Animals (1975), which featured mythical creatures such as mermaids and unicorns . Eventually, the BBC signed a co-production deal with Turner Broadcasting and Life on Earth moved into production in 1976. In 1979, he visited China and reported to
2737-443: A ten-part series focussing on extraordinary animal behaviour, and narrated Nature's Great Events , which showed how seasonal changes trigger major natural spectacles. In January 2009, the BBC commissioned Attenborough to provide a series of 20 ten-minute monologues covering the history of nature. Entitled David Attenborough's Life Stories , they were broadcast on Radio 4 on Friday nights. In 2011, Fothergill gave Attenborough
2856-613: A terrible decline. In yours, you could and should witness a wonderful recovery." In 2022, the United Nations Environment Programme recognised Attenborough as a Champion of the Earth "for his dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy for the protection of nature and its restoration". Attenborough's programmes have often included references to the impact of human society on the natural world. The last episode of The Living Planet , for example, focuses almost entirely on humans' destruction of
2975-702: A variety of environmental conditions and perform more efficiently allowing a greater proportion of photon energy to end up in the storage compounds, i.e., carbohydrates (rather than building and sustaining living cells). However, prominent research faces hurdles, Sun Catalytix a MIT spin-off stopped scaling up their prototype fuel-cell in 2012 because it offers few savings over other ways to make hydrogen from sunlight. Most new renewables are solar, followed by wind then hydro then bioenergy. Investment in renewables, especially solar, tends to be more effective in creating jobs than coal, gas or oil. Worldwide, renewables employ about 12 million people as of 2020, with solar PV being
3094-497: A vegetarian diet or to reduce meat consumption to save wildlife , noting that "the planet can't support billions of meat-eaters." Attenborough has linked anthropogenic effects on the environment with human population growth . He has attracted criticism for his views on human overpopulation and human population control . He is a patron of Population Matters , a UK charity advocating for family planning , sustainable consumption and proposed sustainable human population . In
3213-499: A vehicle for colour television. In 1997, he narrated the BBC Wildlife Specials , each focussing on a charismatic species, and screened to mark the Natural History Unit's 40th anniversary. As a writer and narrator, Attenborough continued to collaborate with the BBC Natural History Unit in the new millennium. Alastair Fothergill , a senior producer with whom Attenborough had worked on The Trials of Life and Life in
3332-484: A young Jacquetta Hawkes admired his collection. He spent much time in the grounds of the university. Aged around 11, he heard that the zoology department needed a large supply of newts , which he offered through his father to supply for 3d each. The source, which he did not reveal at the time, was a pond right next to the department. A year later, his adoptive sister Marianne gave him a piece of amber containing prehistoric creatures; some sixty years later, it would be
3451-472: Is energy from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale . The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy , wind power , and hydropower . Bioenergy and geothermal power are also significant in some countries. Some also consider nuclear power a renewable power source , although this is controversial. Renewable energy installations can be large or small and are suited for both urban and rural areas. Renewable energy
3570-456: Is thermal energy (heat) extracted from the Earth's crust . It originates from several different sources , of which the most significant is slow radioactive decay of minerals contained in the Earth's interior , as well as some leftover heat from the formation of the Earth . Some of the heat is generated near the Earth's surface in the crust, but some also flows from deep within the Earth from
3689-629: Is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit , the nine nature documentary series forming the Life collection , a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth. Attenborough was a senior manager at the BBC , having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in
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3808-471: Is a more economical means of long-term renewable energy storage, in terms of capital expenditures compared to pumped hydroelectric or batteries. Solar power produced around 1.3 terrawatt-hours (TWh) worldwide in 2022, representing 4.6% of the world's electricity. Almost all of this growth has happened since 2010. Solar energy can be harnessed anywhere that receives sunlight; however, the amount of solar energy that can be harnessed for electricity generation
3927-591: Is a patron. He later became patron of the World Land Trust. In 2020, he backed a Fauna and Flora International campaign calling for a global moratorium on deep sea mining for its impact on marine life. During the COVID-19 pandemic , Attenborough advocated on behalf of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and its conservation efforts, which have been impacted by the economic fallout from
4046-682: Is a senior lecturer in bioanthropology for the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra . Susan is a former primary school headmistress. Attenborough had a pacemaker fitted in June 2013 as well as a double knee replacement in 2015. In September 2013, he commented: "If I was earning my money by hewing coal I would be very glad indeed to stop. But I'm not. I'm swanning round
4165-537: Is a technology for generating electricity by mixing fresh water and salty sea water in large power cells. Most marine energy harvesting technologies are still at low technology readiness levels and not used at large scales. Tidal energy is generally considered the most mature, but has not seen wide deployment. The world's largest tidal power station is on Sihwa Lake , South Korea, which produces around 550 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. Earth emits roughly 10 W of infrared thermal radiation that flows toward
4284-419: Is about 800 times denser than air , even a slow flowing stream of water, or moderate sea swell , can yield considerable amounts of energy. Water can generate electricity with a conversion efficiency of about 90%, which is the highest rate in renewable energy. There are many forms of water energy: Much hydropower is flexible, thus complementing wind and solar. In 2021, the world renewable hydropower capacity
4403-525: Is common in Iceland, or to generate electricity. At smaller scales, geothermal power can be generated with geothermal heat pumps , which can extract heat from ground temperatures of under 30 °C (86 °F), allowing them to be used at relatively shallow depths of a few meters. Electricity generation requires large plants and ground temperatures of at least 150 °C (302 °F). In some countries, electricity produced from geothermal energy accounts for
4522-401: Is enough fuel for breeder reactors to satisfy the world's energy needs for 5 billion years at 1983's total energy consumption rate, thus making nuclear energy effectively a renewable energy. In addition to seawater the average crustal granite rocks contain significant quantities of uranium and thorium with which breeder reactors can supply abundant energy for the remaining lifespan of the sun on
4641-518: Is influenced by weather conditions , geographic location and time of day. There are two mainstream ways of harnessing solar energy: solar thermal , which converts solar energy into heat; and photovoltaics (PV), which converts it into electricity. PV is far more widespread, accounting for around two thirds of the global solar energy capacity as of 2022. It is also growing at a much faster rate, with 170 GW newly installed capacity in 2021, compared to 25 GW of solar thermal. Passive solar refers to
4760-460: Is more valuable than VRE countries with large hydroelectric developments such as Canada and Norway are spending billions to expand their grids to trade with neighboring countries having limited hydro. Biomass is biological material derived from living, or recently living organisms. Most commonly, it refers to plants or plant-derived materials. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly via combustion to produce heat, or converted to
4879-478: Is no comment whatsoever on Terry Wogan's talents." Attenborough has also acknowledged that he sanctioned the wiping of television output during this period to cut costs, including a series by Alan Bennett , which he later regretted. In 1969, Attenborough was promoted to director of programmes, making him responsible for the output of both BBC channels. His tasks, which included agreeing budgets, attending board meetings and firing staff, were now far removed from
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4998-596: Is not possible to use or store excess electricity. Electrical energy storage is a collection of methods used to store electrical energy. Electrical energy is stored during times when production (especially from intermittent sources such as wind power , tidal power , solar power ) exceeds consumption, and returned to the grid when production falls below consumption. Pumped-storage hydroelectricity accounts for more than 85% of all grid power storage . Batteries are increasingly being deployed for storage and grid ancillary services and for domestic storage. Green hydrogen
5117-520: Is often associated with unsustainable deforestation . As part of the global effort to limit climate change , most countries have committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions . In practice, this means phasing out fossil fuels and replacing them with low-emissions energy sources. This much needed process, coined as "low-carbon substitutions" in contrast to other transition processes including energy additions, needs to be accelerated multiple times in order to successfully mitigating climate change. At
5236-501: Is often deployed together with further electrification . This has several benefits: electricity can move heat and vehicles efficiently and is clean at the point of consumption. Variable renewable energy sources are those that have a fluctuating nature, such as wind power and solar power. In contrast, controllable renewable energy sources include dammed hydroelectricity , bioenergy , or geothermal power . Renewable energy systems have rapidly become more efficient and cheaper over
5355-477: Is that the heated water can be stored until it is needed, eliminating the need for a separate energy storage system. Solar thermal power can also be converted to electricity by using the steam generated from the heated water to drive a turbine connected to a generator. However, because generating electricity this way is much more expensive than photovoltaic power plants, there are very few in use today. Humans have harnessed wind energy since at least 3500 BC. Until
5474-662: Is to slow and eventually stop climate change , which is widely agreed to be caused mostly by greenhouse gas emissions . In general, renewable energy sources cause much lower emissions than fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency estimates that to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, 90% of global electricity generation will need to be produced from renewable sources. Renewables also cause much less air pollution than fossil fuels, improving public health, and are less noisy . The deployment of renewable energy still faces obstacles, especially fossil fuel subsidies , lobbying by incumbent power providers, and local opposition to
5593-463: The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference , around three-quarters of the world's countries set a goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. The European Union aims to generate 40% of its electricity from renewables by the same year. Renewable energy is more evenly distributed around the world than fossil fuels, which are concentrated in a limited number of countries. It also brings health benefits by reducing air pollution caused by
5712-659: The BBC Natural History Unit was formally established in Bristol . Attenborough was asked to join it, but declined, not wishing to move from London where he and his young family were settled. Instead, he formed his own department, the Travel and Exploration Unit, which allowed him to continue to front Zoo Quest as well as produce other documentaries, notably the Travellers' Tales and Adventure series. In
5831-494: The NASA Office of Science and Technology Policy examined the concept and concluded that with current and near-future technologies it would be economically uncompetitive. Collection of static electricity charges from water droplets on metal surfaces is an experimental technology that would be especially useful in low-income countries with relative air humidity over 60%. Breeder reactors could, in principle, depending on
5950-523: The World Land Trust to create a rainforest reserve in Ecuador in memory of Christopher Parsons, the producer of Life on Earth and a personal friend, who had died the previous year. The same year, he helped to launch ARKive , a global project instigated by Parsons to gather together natural history media into a digital library. ARKive is an initiative of Wildscreen , of which Attenborough
6069-574: The mantle and core . Geothermal energy extraction is viable mostly in countries located on tectonic plate edges, where the Earth's hot mantle is more exposed. As of 2023, the United States has by far the most geothermal capacity (2.7 GW, or less than 0.2% of the country's total energy capacity ), followed by Indonesia and the Philippines. Global capacity in 2022 was 15 GW. Geothermal energy can be either used directly to heat homes, as
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#17327810151806188-515: The 10th project for Attenborough and Atlantic, and saw him returning to a location he first filmed at in 1957. On radio, Attenborough has continued as one of the presenters of BBC Radio 4's Tweet of the Day , which began a second series in September 2014. Attenborough forged a partnership with Sky , working on documentaries for the broadcaster's new 3D network, Sky 3D . Their first collaboration
6307-647: The 1960s and 1970s. First becoming prominent as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, his filmography as writer, presenter and narrator has spanned eight decades; it includes Natural World , Wildlife on One , the Planet Earth franchise , The Blue Planet and its sequel . He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black and white, colour , high-definition , 3D and 4K resolution . Over his life he has collected dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Narration . While Attenborough's earlier work focused primarily on
6426-660: The 2019 IPBES report on the decline of biodiversity . In 2020, Attenborough narrated the documentary film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet . The film acts as Attenborough's witness statement, reflecting on his career as a naturalist and his hopes for the future. It was released on Netflix on 4 October 2020. Further work for Netflix includes the documentary titled Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet , released on 4 June 2021. In October 2020, Attenborough began filming in Cambridge for The Green Planet . In 2021, Attenborough narrated A Perfect Planet ,
6545-400: The 20th century, it was primarily used to power ships, windmills and water pumps. Today, the vast majority of wind power is used to generate electricity using wind turbines. Modern utility-scale wind turbines range from around 600 kW to 9 MW of rated power. The power available from the wind is a function of the cube of the wind speed, so as wind speed increases, power output increases up to
6664-597: The Freezer , the first television series to survey the natural history of Antarctica . Although past normal retirement age, he then embarked on a number of more specialised surveys of the natural world, beginning with plants. They proved a difficult subject for his producers, who had to deliver hours of television featuring what are essentially immobile objects. The result was The Private Life of Plants (1995), which showed plants as dynamic organisms by using time-lapse photography to speed up their growth, and went on to earn
6783-501: The Freezer , was making The Blue Planet (2001), the Unit's first comprehensive series on marine life . He decided not to use an on-screen presenter due to difficulties in speaking to a camera through diving apparatus, but asked Attenborough to narrate the films. The same team reunited for Planet Earth (2006), the biggest nature documentary ever made for television and the first BBC wildlife series to be shot in high definition . In 2009, Attenborough co-wrote and narrated Life ,
6902-606: The Natural History Unit, who came up with a title Life on Earth and returned to Bristol to start planning the series. Attenborough harboured a strong desire to present the series himself, but this would not be possible so long as he remained in a management post. While in charge of BBC Two, Attenborough turned down Terry Wogan 's job application to be a presenter on the channel, stating that there weren't any suitable vacancies. The channel already had an Irish announcer, with Attenborough reflecting in 2016: "To have had two Irishmen presenting on BBC Two would have looked ridiculous. This
7021-410: The Talks (factual broadcasting) department of the BBC's fledgling television service. Attenborough, like most Britons at that time, did not own a television, and he had seen only one programme in his life. He accepted Adams' offer of a three-month training course. In 1952 he joined the BBC full-time. Initially discouraged from appearing on camera because Adams thought his teeth were too big, he became
7140-451: The West for the first time about China's one-child policy. Beginning with Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body of work which became a benchmark of quality in wildlife film-making, and influenced a generation of documentary film-makers. The series established many of the hallmarks of the BBC's natural history output. By treating his subject seriously and researching
7259-490: The advent of colour television , Attenborough brought snooker to the BBC to show the benefits of the format, as the sport uses coloured balls. The show – Pot Black – was later credited with the boom of the sport into the 1980s. One of his most significant decisions was to order a 13-part series on the history of Western art , to show off the quality of the new UHF colour television service that BBC Two offered. Broadcast to universal acclaim in 1969, Civilisation set
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#17327810151807378-437: The arts, entertainment, archaeology, experimental comedy, travel, drama, sport, business, science and natural history all found a place in the weekly schedules. Often, an eclectic mix was offered within a single evening's viewing. Programmes he commissioned included Man Alive , Call My Bluff , Chronicle , Match of the Day , The Old Grey Whistle Test , Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Money Programme . With
7497-408: The blueprint for landmark authored documentaries , which were informally known as "sledgehammer" projects. Others followed, including Jacob Bronowski 's The Ascent of Man (also commissioned by Attenborough), and Alistair Cooke 's America . Attenborough thought that the story of evolution would be a natural subject for such a series. He shared his idea with Christopher Parsons , a producer at
7616-446: The burning of fossil fuels. The potential worldwide savings in health care costs have been estimated at trillions of dollars annually. The two most important forms of renewable energy, solar and wind, are intermittent energy sources : they are not available constantly, resulting in lower capacity factors . In contrast, fossil fuel power plants are usually able to produce precisely the amount of energy an electricity grid requires at
7735-434: The business of filming programmes. When Attenborough's name was being suggested as a candidate for the position of Director-General of the BBC in 1972, he phoned his brother Richard to confess that he had no appetite for the job. Early the following year, he left his post to return to full-time programme-making, leaving him free to write and present the planned natural history epic. After his resignation, Attenborough became
7854-778: The cold outer space. Solar energy hits the surface and atmosphere of the earth and produces heat. Using various theorized devices like emissive energy harvester (EEH) or thermoradiative diode, this energy flow can be converted into electricity. In theory, this technology can be used during nighttime. Producing liquid fuels from oil-rich (fat-rich) varieties of algae is an ongoing research topic. Various microalgae grown in open or closed systems are being tried including some systems that can be set up in brownfield and desert lands. There have been numerous proposals for space-based solar power , in which very large satellites with photovoltaic panels would be equipped with microwave transmitters to beam power back to terrestrial receivers. A 2024 study by
7973-533: The corporation announced a trio of new one-off Attenborough documentaries as part of a raft of new natural history programmes. "Attenborough's Paradise Birds" and "Attenborough's Big Birds" was shown on BBC Two and "Waking Giants", which follows the discovery of giant dinosaur bones in South America, aired on BBC One. The BBC also commissioned Atlantic Productions to make a three-part, Attenborough-fronted series Great Barrier Reef in 2015. The series marked
8092-554: The crops used to produce bioethanol and biodiesel are grown specifically for this purpose, although used cooking oil accounted for 14% of the oil used to produce biodiesel as of 2015. The biomass used to produce biofuels varies by region. Maize is the major feedstock in the United States, while sugarcane dominates in Brazil. In the European Union, where biodiesel is more common than bioethanol, rapeseed oil and palm oil are
8211-412: The deforestation of tropical rainforests in Brazil and Indonesia. In addition, burning biomass still produces carbon emissions, although much less than fossil fuels (39 grams of CO 2 per megajoule of energy, compared to 75 g/MJ for fossil fuels). Some biomass sources are unsustainable at current rates of exploitation (as of 2017). Biofuels are primarily used in transportation, providing 3.5% of
8330-459: The delicate balance between them be destroyed. The idea that mankind was endangering nature by recklessly despoiling and plundering its riches was unheard of at the time, but it is one that has remained part of Dave's own credo to this day." In 1999, Richard directed a biopic of Belaney entitled Grey Owl . Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester. He won
8449-547: The early 1960s, Attenborough resigned from the permanent staff of the BBC to study for a postgraduate degree in social anthropology at the London School of Economics , interweaving his study with further filming. However, he accepted an invitation to return to the BBC as controller of BBC Two before he could finish the degree. Attenborough became Controller of BBC Two in March 1965, succeeding Michael Peacock . He had
8568-518: The environment and ways that it could be stopped or reversed. Despite this, he has been criticised for not giving enough prominence to environmental messages. In 2018 while promoting Dynasties , he said that repeated messages on threats to wildlife in programming could be a "turn-off" to viewers. Some environmentalists feel that programmes like Attenborough's give a false picture of idyllic wilderness and do not do enough to acknowledge that such areas are increasingly encroached upon by humans. However,
8687-585: The fastest-growing renewable energy technology. It is cheap, low-maintenance and scalable; adding to an existing PV installation as demanded arises is simple. Its main disadvantage is its poor performance in cloudy weather. PV systems range from small, residential and commercial rooftop or building integrated installations, to large utility-scale photovoltaic power station . A household's solar panels can either be used for just that household or, if connected to an electrical grid, can be aggregated with millions of others. The first utility-scale solar power plant
8806-542: The first time, and in 2005, Life in the Undergrowth introduced audiences to the world of invertebrates . At this point, Attenborough realised that he had spent 20 years unconsciously assembling a collection of programmes on all the major groups of terrestrial animals and plants – only reptiles and amphibians were missing. When Life in Cold Blood was broadcast in 2008, he had the satisfaction of completing
8925-519: The focus of his programme The Amber Time Machine . In 1936, Attenborough and his brother Richard attended a lecture by Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) at De Montfort Hall , Leicester , and were influenced by his advocacy of conservation. According to Richard, David was "bowled over by the man's determination to save the beaver, by his profound knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Canadian wilderness and by his warnings of ecological disaster should
9044-548: The fuel cycle employed, extract almost all of the energy contained in uranium or thorium , decreasing fuel requirements by a factor of 100 compared to widely used once-through light water reactors , which extract less than 1% of the energy in the actinide metal (uranium or thorium) mined from the earth. The high fuel-efficiency of breeder reactors could greatly reduce concerns about fuel supply, energy used in mining, and storage of radioactive waste . With seawater uranium extraction (currently too expensive to be economical), there
9163-628: The globe and shared his discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating". He is widely considered a national treasure in the UK, although he himself does not embrace the term. David Frederick Attenborough was born on 8 May 1926 in Isleworth , Middlesex , and grew up in College House on the campus of the University of Leicester , where his father, Frederick ,
9282-744: The horizontal axis units currently in use. As offshore wind speeds average ~90% greater than that of land, offshore resources can contribute substantially more energy than land-stationed turbines. Investments in wind technologies reached USD 161 billion in 2020, with onshore wind dominating at 80% of total investments from 2013 to 2022. Offshore wind investments nearly doubled to USD 41 billion between 2019 and 2020, primarily due to policy incentives in China and expansion in Europe. Global wind capacity increased by 557 GW between 2013 and 2021, with capacity additions increasing by an average of 19% each year. Since water
9401-430: The increased urgency of environmental messaging in films such as Extinction: The Facts , which depicts the continuing sixth mass extinction , Climate Change – The Facts and A Life on Our Planet from 2019 and 2020 received praise. In Seven Worlds, One Planet , Attenborough discusses the devastating impact that deforestation is having on the planet and the species. In 2005 and 2006, Attenborough backed
9520-513: The issue until 2006. Attenborough attended and spoke at COP26 as the "People's Advocate" for the event, and urged world leaders to act to reduce emissions. He supported Glyndebourne in their successful application to obtain planning permission for a wind turbine in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , and gave evidence at the planning inquiry arguing in favour of the proposal. In his 2020 documentary film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet , Attenborough advocates for people to adopt
9639-465: The latest discoveries, Attenborough and his production team gained the trust of scientists, who responded by allowing him to feature their subjects in his programmes. Innovation was another factor in Life on Earth 's success: new film-making techniques were devised to get the shots Attenborough wanted, with a focus on events and animals that were up till then unfilmed. International air travel enabled
9758-460: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_Planet&oldid=1183347845 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough ( / ˈ æ t ən b ə r ə / ; born 8 May 1926)
9877-408: The main feedstocks. China, although it produces comparatively much less biofuel, uses mostly corn and wheat. In many countries, biofuels are either subsidized or mandated to be included in fuel mixtures . There are many other sources of bioenergy that are more niche, or not yet viable at large scales. For instance, bioethanol could be produced from the cellulosic parts of crops, rather than only
9996-504: The main sequence of stellar evolution. Artificial photosynthesis uses techniques including nanotechnology to store solar electromagnetic energy in chemical bonds by splitting water to produce hydrogen and then using carbon dioxide to make methanol. Researchers in this field strived to design molecular mimics of photosynthesis that use a wider region of the solar spectrum, employ catalytic systems made from abundant, inexpensive materials that are robust, readily repaired, non-toxic, stable in
10115-456: The maximum output for the particular turbine. Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore and high-altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind farms. Wind-generated electricity met nearly 4% of global electricity demand in 2015, with nearly 63 GW of new wind power capacity installed. Wind energy was the leading source of new capacity in Europe, the US and Canada, and
10234-472: The medium-term, this variability may require keeping some gas-fired power plants or other dispatchable generation on standby until there is enough energy storage, demand response , grid improvement, and/or baseload power from non-intermittent sources. In the long-term, energy storage is an important way of dealing with intermittency. Using diversified renewable energy sources and smart grids can also help flatten supply and demand. Sector coupling of
10353-634: The natural history genre. He wrote and presented a series on man's influence on the natural history of the Mediterranean Basin , The First Eden , in 1987. Two years later, he demonstrated his passion for fossils in Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives . In 1990, he worked on the BBC's Prisoners of Conscience series where he highlighted the case of the Sudanese poet Mahjoub Sharif . Attenborough narrated every episode of Wildlife on One ,
10472-429: The naturalist Julian Huxley discussing their use of camouflage , aposematism and courtship displays . Through this programme, Attenborough met Jack Lester, the curator of the zoo's reptile house, and they decided to make a series about an animal-collecting expedition. The result was Zoo Quest , first broadcast in 1954, where Attenborough became the presenter at short notice due to Lester being taken ill. In 1957,
10591-579: The pandemic. In 2020, Attenborough was named as a member of the Earthshot prize Council, an initiative of Prince William to find solutions to environmental issues. He is a patron of the Friends of Richmond Park and serves on the advisory board of BBC Wildlife magazine . Attenborough was initially sceptical about the human influence on climate change , and stated that a 2004 lecture finally convinced him humans were responsible. He remained silent on
10710-479: The past 30 years. A large majority of worldwide newly installed electricity capacity is now renewable. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have seen significant cost reductions over the past decade, making them more competitive with traditional fossil fuels. In most countries, photovoltaic solar or onshore wind are the cheapest new-build electricity. From 2011 to 2021, renewable energy grew from 20% to 28% of global electricity supply. Power from
10829-571: The power generation sector with other sectors may increase flexibility: for example the transport sector can be coupled by charging electric vehicles and sending electricity from vehicle to grid . Similarly the industry sector can be coupled by hydrogen produced by electrolysis, and the buildings sector by thermal energy storage for space heating and cooling. Building overcapacity for wind and solar generation can help ensure sufficient electricity production even during poor weather. In optimal weather, it may be necessary to curtail energy generation if it
10948-488: The primary challenges for new developments. It is popular to repower old dams thereby increasing their efficiency and capacity as well as quicker responsiveness on the grid. Where circumstances permit existing dams such as the Russell Dam built in 1985 may be updated with "pump back" facilities for pumped-storage which is useful for peak loads or to support intermittent wind and solar power. Because dispatchable power
11067-585: The second largest in China. In Denmark, wind energy met more than 40% of its electricity demand while Ireland, Portugal and Spain each met nearly 20%. Globally, the long-term technical potential of wind energy is believed to be five times total current global energy production, or 40 times current electricity demand, assuming all practical barriers needed were overcome. This would require wind turbines to be installed over large areas, particularly in areas of higher wind resources, such as offshore, and likely also industrial use of new types of VAWT turbines in addition to
11186-527: The sector's increasing maturity and cost reductions, particularly in solar photovoltaic (PV), which accounted for 90% of total investments. China and the United States were the main recipients, collectively making up about half of all solar investments since 2013. Despite reductions in Japan and India due to policy changes and COVID-19 , growth in China, the United States, and a significant increase from Vietnam's feed-in tariff program offset these declines. Globally,
11305-418: The seed as is common today. Sweet sorghum may be a promising alternative source of bioethanol, due to its tolerance of a wide range of climates. Cow dung can be converted into methane. There is also a great deal of research involving algal fuel , which is attractive because algae is a non-food resource, grows around 20 times faster than most food crops, and can be grown almost anywhere. Geothermal energy
11424-413: The series to be devised so that Attenborough visited several locations around the globe in each episode, sometimes even changing continents in one sequence. Although appearing as the on-screen presenter, he restricted his time on camera to give more time to his subjects. Five years after the success of Life on Earth , the BBC released The Living Planet . This time, Attenborough built his series around
11543-481: The set, brought together in a DVD encyclopaedia called Life on Land . He commented: "The evolutionary history is finished. The endeavour is complete. If you'd asked me 20 years ago whether we'd be attempting such a mammoth task, I'd have said 'Don't be ridiculous!' These programmes tell a particular story and I'm sure others will come along and tell it much better than I did, but I do hope that if people watch it in 50 years' time, it will still have something to say about
11662-451: The solar sector added 714 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV and concentrated solar power (CSP) capacity between 2013 and 2021, with a notable rise in large-scale solar heating installations in 2021, especially in China, Europe, Turkey, and Mexico. A photovoltaic system , consisting of solar cells assembled into panels , converts light into electrical direct current via the photoelectric effect . PV has several advantages that make it by far
11781-513: The sun and wind accounted for most of this increase, growing from a combined 2% to 10%. Use of fossil energy shrank from 68% to 62%. In 2022, renewables accounted for 30% of global electricity generation and are projected to reach over 42% by 2028. Many countries already have renewables contributing more than 20% of their total energy supply, with some generating over half or even all their electricity from renewable sources. The main motivation to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources
11900-468: The technology employing the most at almost 4 million. However, as of February 2024, the world's supply of workforce for solar energy is lagging greatly behind demand as universities worldwide still produce more workforce for fossil fuels than for renewable energy industries. In 2021, China accounted for almost half of the global increase in renewable electricity. There are 3,146 gigawatts installed in 135 countries, while 156 countries have laws regulating
12019-407: The ten biggest solar power stations are in China, including the biggest, Golmud Solar Park in China. Unlike photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight directly into electricity, solar thermal systems convert it into heat. They use mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver, which in turn heats a water reservoir. The heated water can then be used in homes. The advantage of solar thermal
12138-501: The term is not synonymous with low-carbon energy . Some non-renewable sources of energy, such as nuclear power , generate almost no emissions, while some renewable energy sources can be very carbon-intensive, such as the burning of biomass if it is not offset by planting new plants. Renewable energy is also distinct from sustainable energy , a more abstract concept that seeks to group energy sources based on their overall permanent impact on future generations of humans. For example, biomass
12257-450: The theme of ecology, the adaptations of living things to their environment. It was another critical and commercial success, generating huge international sales for the BBC. In 1990, The Trials of Life completed the original Life trilogy, looking at animal behaviour through the different stages of life. In the 1990s, Attenborough continued to use the "Life" title for a succession of authored documentaries. In 1993, he presented Life in
12376-427: The third series showing in 2015. He has also narrated A majestic celebration: Wild Karnataka , India's first blue-chip natural history film, directed by Kalyan Varma and Amoghavarsha . Blue Planet II was broadcast in 2017, with Attenborough returning as presenter. The series was critically acclaimed and gained the highest UK viewing figure for 2017 of 14.1 million. The series is thought to have triggered
12495-560: The turn of the millennium, Attenborough's authored documentaries were adopting a more overtly environmentalist stance. In State of the Planet (2000), he used the latest scientific evidence and interviews with leading scientists and conservationists to assess the impact of human activities on the natural world. He later turned to the issues of global warming ( The Truth about Climate Change , 2006) and human population growth ( How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? , 2009). He contributed
12614-484: The use of land for renewable installations. Like all mining, the extraction of minerals required for many renewable energy technologies also results in environmental damage . In addition, although most renewable energy sources are sustainable , some are not. Renewable energy is usually understood as energy harnessed from continuously occurring natural phenomena. The International Energy Agency defines it as "energy derived from natural processes that are replenished at
12733-419: The wonders of the natural world , his later work has been more vocal in support of environmental causes. He has advocated for restoring planetary biodiversity , limiting population growth , switching to renewable energy , mitigating climate change , reducing meat consumption , and setting aside more areas for natural preservation . On his broadcasting and passion for nature, NPR stated Attenborough "roamed
12852-565: The world is an effective way "to limit our birth rate." He said that "anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist." Attenborough considers himself an agnostic. When asked whether his observation of the natural world has given him faith in a creator, he generally responds with some version of this story, making reference to the Onchocerca volvulus parasitic worm: Renewable energy Renewable energy (or green energy )
12971-416: The world looking at the most fabulously interesting things. Such good fortune." After leaving the navy, Attenborough took a position editing children's science textbooks for a publishing company. He soon became disillusioned with the work and in 1950 applied for a job as a radio talk producer with the BBC . Although he was rejected for this job, his CV later attracted the interest of Mary Adams , head of
13090-483: The world we live in." However, in 2010 Attenborough asserted that his First Life – dealing with evolutionary history before Life on Earth – should be included within the "Life" series. In the documentary Attenborough's Journey , he stated, "This series, to a degree which I really didn't fully appreciate until I started working on it, really completes the set." Alongside the Life series, Attenborough continued to work on other television documentaries, mainly in
13209-484: The world's transport energy demand in 2022, up from 2.7% in 2010. Biojet is expected to be important for short-term reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from long-haul flights. Aside from wood, the major sources of bioenergy are bioethanol and biodiesel . Bioethanol is usually produced by fermenting the sugar components of crops like sugarcane and maize , while biodiesel is mostly made from oils extracted from plants, such as soybean oil and corn oil . Most of
13328-502: The world, depending on the cost of drilling. EGS projects have so far primarily been limited to demonstration plants , as the technology is capital-intensive due to the high cost of drilling. Marine energy (also sometimes referred to as ocean energy) is the energy carried by ocean waves , tides , salinity , and ocean temperature differences . Technologies to harness the energy of moving water include wave power , marine current power , and tidal power . Reverse electrodialysis (RED)
13447-627: Was Flying Monsters 3D , a film about pterosaurs which debuted on Christmas Day of 2010. A second film, The Penguin King 3D , followed a year later. His next 3D project, Conquest of the Skies , made by the team behind the BAFTA award-winning David Attenborough's Natural History Museum Alive , aired on Sky 3D during Christmas 2014. Attenborough has narrated three series of David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities for UKTV channel Watch , with
13566-692: Was principal . He is the middle of three sons; his elder brother, Richard , became an actor and director, and his younger brother, John , was an executive at the Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo . During the Second World War , through a British volunteer network known as the Refugee Children's Movement , his parents also fostered two Jewish refugee girls from Germany. Attenborough spent his childhood collecting fossils , stones, and natural specimens. He received encouragement when
13685-455: Was 1,360 GW. Only a third of the world's estimated hydroelectric potential of 14,000 TWh/year has been developed. New hydropower projects face opposition from local communities due to their large impact, including relocation of communities and flooding of wildlife habitats and farming land. High cost and lead times from permission process, including environmental and risk assessments, with lack of environmental and social acceptance are therefore
13804-522: Was built in 1982 in Hesperia, California by ARCO . The plant was not profitable and was sold eight years later. However, over the following decades, PV cells became significantly more efficient and cheaper. As a result, PV adoption has grown exponentially since 2010. Global capacity increased from 230 GW at the end of 2015 to 890 GW in 2021. PV grew fastest in China between 2016 and 2021, adding 560 GW, more than all advanced economies combined. Four of
13923-444: Was dictated by developments in camera technology. For The Life of Mammals (2002), low-light and infrared cameras were deployed to reveal the behaviour of nocturnal mammals. The series contains a number of memorable two shots of Attenborough and his subjects, which included chimpanzees, a blue whale and a grizzly bear . Advances in macro photography made it possible to capture the natural behaviour of very small creatures for
14042-515: Was invited to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on The Language of Animals . After his work on Eastwards with Attenborough , he began to work on the scripts for Life on Earth . Due to the scale of his ambition, the BBC decided to partner with an American network to secure the necessary funding. While the negotiations were proceeding, he worked on a number of other television projects. He presented
14161-431: Was launched in 1964, but had struggled to capture the public's imagination. When Attenborough arrived as controller, he quickly abolished the channel's quirky kangaroo mascot and shook up the schedule. With a mission to make BBC Two's output diverse and different from that offered by other networks, he began to establish a portfolio of programmes that defined the channel's identity for decades to come. Under his tenure, music,
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