Nick Ware

Last Night … David Attenborough, just stunning, but will anybody listen and actually do anything about what has been obvious to even the simplest of minds for decades now?

 

Alan Taylor

Talking of Attenborough, some of you will have worked with him.  I did a conservation discussion programme a couple of years ago involving three major speakers,  Prince William, Bear Grylls and David Attenborough. 

Prince William turned up with a sheaf of papers and his speech was delivered word for word, reading from the papers, mostly with his head down and with minimal emotion.  Bear Grylls had a large list of bullet points on a few sheets of paper. He was entertaining, but it was a succession of topics rather than a coherent talk.  David Attenborough just shuffled onto stage without notes and spoke on-topic and engagingly with a proper start, middle and end.  The entire audience were spellbound because he was clearly speaking from the heart, with passion.  His performance reminded me of A. J. P. Taylor’s televised talks.  AJPT just stood there and delivered exactly 28 minutes of spellbinding fascination, constructed just like telling a story.

I had worked with Attenborough before and greatly admired him, but to see him in his 90’s totally outclassing younger people who were very experienced public speakers boosted my respect for him even more.

The problem with his message is that the people who most need to listen refuse to listen, both the affluent people in the west consuming disproportionate amounts of the planet’s resources  and the poor in the east who use endangered animals for traditional medicines.

 

Roger Long

Attenborough is indeed a genial and spellbinding communicator.

I worked with him on and off for 20 years, and my friends even longer and we all loved him for his decency and humanity in trying circumstances.  However we never heard his opinions on climate or extinction in those times.

He once told me on a trip back from Suffolk in my Golf that he thought human beings more fascinating than animals, he was however an Anthropologist by training, anything he turns to is detailed and immersive, ie his love of music.

The problem with  Climate discussion is that the third World is to be denied their carbon  resources that we used to power our Industrial Revolution. Technology is leaping forward to harness Renewable energy, this has to be installed in developing countries if we are to possibly slow the Greenhouse effect.  Hopefully the ingenuity of Mankind will enable whole new industrial application and adaptation, another of our traits, will facilitate population levels and future settlement.