Many Happy Returns, Sir David

David Attenborough, the voice of natural history since the 1950s, turns 96 on May 8. His filmography as writer and narrator includes Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth franchise, The Blue Planet, and Blue Planet II.

His awards are many as well: Emmys, BAFTAs, two knighthoods. Most recently he was named a “Champion of the Earth” by the United Nations Environment Programme.

“It’s not all doom and gloom,” Sir David said in the 2020 film A Life on Our Planet. “There’s a chance for us to make amends, to complete our journey of development and once again become a species in balance with nature. All we need is the will to do so.”

Attenborough is that rare public figure who acknowledges the limits and pitfalls to economic (and population) growth.

“If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us. It’s now time for our species to stop simply growing, to establish a life on our planet in balance with nature, to start to thrive.”

Happy birthday, sir. Watch Attenborough being iconic here: youtube.com/watch?v=leDm_-nfr2w.

Photo credit: BBC Earth via Youtube