David Farnor | On 22, Apr 2021

David Attenborough is returning to Netflix for a new documentary in collaboration with Johan Rockström.

Founder of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam and Chief Scientific Advisor for Conservation International, Rockström will publish a book, Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet, this May. In it, he presents a vision of planetary stewardship, a rethinking of humanity’s relationship with the planet.

The film, which takes the same title as the book, will aim to reach even more people to inspire them to become planetary stewards, revealing the full scale of the planetary emergency we face, but also how we can stabilise Earth’s life support system.

In 2009, scientists identified nine planetary boundaries that keep Earth stable, ranging from biodiversity to ozone. Beyond these boundaries lurk tipping points. In order to stop short of these tipping points – ranging from climate change and the loss of species to the ozone layer and ocean acidification – the 2020s must see the fastest economic transition in history.

“Our generation may be the last with the ability to keep our planet within the boundaries we need to thrive and prosper,” says Rockström.

“The key message from the film is that we still have time. We are an endlessly innovative species. Co-operation is our superpower. And we are beginning to see signs that major change is coming. The science is clear on what humanity needs to do. There are three priorities: cut greenhouse gases to zero, protect the wetlands, soils, forests and oceans that absorb our impacts, and change our diets and the way we farm food.”

Attenborough will narrate the documentary, which will arrive on Netflix this summer.

He says: “With major global decisions on biodiversity and climate change taking place this year there has never been a more important time to communicate the science of what is happening to our planet. The research featured in Breaking Boundaries is one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen of the threats we face and how we might tackle them. I hope that after watching this film many more people will see the urgency of our current situation and be inspired by the possibility of creating a stable healthy future for ourselves and the rest of the natural world.”

 

Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

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