09 July 2023 , 23:01
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Chris Packham makes an impassioned speech in his new series Earth as he urges humanity to act rapidly on climate change.
The presenter warns the planet is waiting for humans to give their “finest performance” when it comes to addressing the climate emergency.
The five-part BBC series charts four and half billion years of our existence, covering asteroids, extreme climate changes and collisions of continents.
Cutting-edge CGI allows viewers to witness critical moments when Earth’s future hung in the balance.
And in the final episode, he makes a direct appeal to the “power of humanity”, cautioning: “In the very near future our species will need to reach the zenith of its achievements and all humans will have to learn to put our Earth first.
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“That unique, fragile, beautiful Earth that for more than four billion years has been forming this stage on which we now stand.
“It’s waiting for our finest performance. And if we don’t pull it off, then of course life on this planet will continue to prosper. But there will be no encore for humanity.”
Chris Packham admits he was “surprised” by the discovery in his new show (BBC Studios/BBC)Chris said he thought carefully about what he was going to say and spoke from the heart.
“I wrote it on my phone in the back of the car driving across Mexico,” he said. “I guess I’m scared, aren’t I? I couldn’t help but be impassioned.”
Chris said he still hopes we can turn it around. “I do think we’ve got the ingenuity and adaptability to survive. For me it’s the urgency. It’s the fact we’re just not acting quickly enough. We’ve got to look at our global governors and make sure we elect people who are going to make those changes assertively
and rapidly.
“There are many things which are, even as communities, beyond our control at this point.”
In the series, Chris also reveals we owe our existence to fungi. He will explain the vital part fungi played in the development of soil, without which no plants can exist.
At a launch for the series, Chris explained: “Plants were trapped in the sea, it was fungi that made it out onto the land.”
Earth airs on BBC2 on Monday July 17 at 9pm.