Happy 100th birthday to the ‘voice of ecology’

It’s happy 100th birthday on Friday this week to Sir David Attenborough who is the voice of ecology and is one of the world’s most influential environmentalists, says Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.

“Sir David has achieved so much in his lifetime,” said Ron. “For more than 70 years he has brought the natural world into millions of living rooms through TV, and he has caused a massive shift in public opinion and political attitudes towards pollution in the environment.”

At the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, he served as the “People’s Advocate,” urging world leaders to reduce emissions and act on the climate emergency.

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.”

He is a founding member of the Earthshot Prize Council, an initiative by Prince William to find innovative solutions to the world’s environmental problems.

As the official Patron since 2003 of the World Land Trust (WLT), he has also championed the direct purchase of land to create wildlife reserves in threatened areas like the rainforests of Ecuador.

On top of all that he is President of Butterfly Conservation; Vice-President of Fauna & Flora International and patron of Population Matters, advocating for sustainable human population levels to reduce the strain on the planet’s finite resources.

Sir David 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 32 honorary degrees from British universities, more than any other person. He has been awarded three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Narration and one Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Personality.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to nature conservation in the 1974 Birthday Honours.

Finally, at least 20 species of wildlife and types of plants, both living and extinct, have been named in Attenborough’s honour.

Sir David Frederick Attenborough was born on May 8, 1926, the middle of three sons, in Isleworth, Middlesex, and his career as a broadcaster, natural historian and writer has spanned eight decades.

He grew up in College House on the campus of University College, Leicester, where his father, Frederick, was principal.

His introduction to wildlife was aged 11 when he heard that the university zoology department needed a large supply of newts which David offered through his father to supply for 3d (1p) each. He never let on that he got the newts from a pond adjacent to the zoology department.

Attenborough was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester and later won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, in 1945 to study geology and zoology.

His TV presenting career began as host of Zoo Quest in 1954 and moved on to the multi-documentary series forming The Life Collection, Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth franchise, The Blue Planet and Blue Planet II. An estimated 88 per cent of viewers changed their lifestyle habits after watching Blue Planet II highlighting the problem of litter in the oceans.

Attenborough became Controller of BBC Two in March 1965, one year after the channel was launched in 1964.

In 1969 he was promoted to director of programmes, making him responsible for the output of both BBC channels

Sir David Attenborough was married for 47 years to Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel from 1950 until her death in 1997 and has not remarried. They had two children, Robert and Susan.

“Sir David really is a one-off environmental genius as he roams the globe and shares his discoveries and enthusiasm with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating,” said Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park.

“But he is spot on when he said to save the earth people must move to renewable energy to replace fossil fuels; shift toward plant-based diets to reduce the land needed for farming; establish marine protected areas to allow oceans to recover and introduce aggressive rewilding to restore lost biodiversity,” concluded Ron.

This article raises some interesting questions, said Ron. Have you ever met Sir David? Have you watched his TV programmes as many of our readers have?  What do you think is his biggest achievement? How do you think he should be remembered? Send your views to Ron Fox at [email protected]

Ron added: “If you want any advice about green energy and climate change, call me on 0845 474 6641.”