A LIFE ON OUR PLANET by David Attenborough

Without a doubt, this book should be a compulsory read for everyone as it explains the radical changes that our planet has suffered within a single lifetime.
There’s so much upsetting information to digest on just how responsible we, humans, are for the increasing amounts of carbon emissions in atmosphere, the very low percentage of wilderness currently left on this world and unfortunately the list goes on.
David Attenborough made a critical point in saying that even though we’re the cleverest creatures to have ever lived on Earth, our survival now will require wisdom. Wisdom to understand that we are sharing this planet with other living creatures and organisms and our domination has to stop. This is the only way forward to, once again, become a species in harmony with nature.
To name a few, here is what we have to gain when we focus on long term sustainability instead of short term commodities:

• In losing our dependence on coal and oil and generating renewable energy we gain clear air and water, cheap electricity and quieter, safer cities.

• In losing rights to fish in certain waters, will gain a healthy and balanced ocean that will help us combat climate change and offer us more wild seafood.

• In losing land to the wild, we gain opportunities to reconnect with the natural world in our own local environment as well as decreasing the carbon dioxide levels.

• In losing dominance over nature, we gain stability for generations to come.

“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.”