The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.
I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored.
The climate, the economic situation, rising birth rates; none of these things give me a lot of hope or reason to be optimistic.
Steve Irwin did wonderful conservation work but I was uncomfortable about some of his stunts. Even if animals aren’t aware that you are not treating them with respect, the viewers are.
The process of making natural history films is to try to prevent the animal knowing you are there, so you get glimpses of a non-human world, and that is a transporting thing.
Cameramen are among the most extraordinarily able and competent people I know. They have to have an insight into natural history that gives them a sixth sense of what the creature is going to do, so they can be ready to follow.
People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure.
An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment.
Dealing with global warming doesn’t mean we have all got to suddenly stop breathing. Dealing with global warming means that we have to stop waste, and if you travel for no reason whatsoever, that is a waste.
Before the BBC, I joined the Navy in order to travel.
I like animals. I like natural history. The travel bit is not the important bit. The travel bit is what you have to do in order to go and look at animals.
I think a major element of jetlag is psychological. Nobody ever tells me what time it is at home.
It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement the greatest source of visual beauty the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.
Many individuals are doing what they can. But real success can only come if there is a change in our societies and in our economics and in our politics.
We are not overpopulated in an absolute sense; we’ve got the technology for 10 billion, probably 15 billion people, to live on this planet and live good lives. What we haven’t done is developed our technology.
I don’t run a car, have never run a car. I could say that this is because I have this extremely tender environmentalist conscience, but the fact is I hate driving.
There is no question that climate change is happening the only arguable point is what part humans are playing in it.
All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder – and ultimately impossible to solve – with ever more people.
All we can hope for is that the thing is going to slowly and imperceptibly shift. All I can say is that 50 years ago there were no such thing as environmental policies.