Keith Scholey on 'Our Planet'

The first event I attended was a lecture by Keith Scholey, a producer of David Attenborough’s ‘Our Planet’. The lecture, aptly named ‘The Story of Our Planet’ included the making of the series and the impact of the series. This incorporated the blueprint stages of the series’ target audience and the company’s partnership with Netflix, right to the eventual impact of production. Despite popular belief that the series was produced in an effort to highlight climate change, this was merely a subliminal message and instead its focus was to be on Earth as one entire and extremely complex ecosystem. Nevertheless, Earth in its current state was seen to be a very damaged life form in itself. Its shocking gradual demise, was captured in a variety of different settings which all confirmed that the concept of climate change cannot be ignored. Our planet, as an enormous ecosystem, is inextricably linked to climate change. This was very compelling to watch. 

Perhaps the most memorable part of the lecture for me was, as a vegetarian, the facts of the meat industry being laid bare. This in a sense confirmed what I already knew and reassured my own decisions, yet nevertheless shocked me once again. It was interesting to learn that humans existed and could only exist as hunter-gatherers for thousands of years before a gradual change in climate made the beginnings of agriculture, a more structured approach to obtaining food, possible. From here on, this sphere rocketed in size and direction to the food industry we see today. Currently, humans and the animals they rear to eat such as cows and pigs account for 96% of our planet’s biomass. Furthermore, 70% of the birds on our planet are poultry, once again raised to be eaten as food.

Personally, I find that though I have a concern for climate change, I am not certain of how I can improve Earth’s situation. However, this lecture reaffirmed for me that by not eating meat and I could at least be making some impact. 

Perhaps the most relevant part of the lecture in terms of the question of the public role of the humanities was a link back to making way for change via companies and individuals. This side of affairs was initiated with a major climate conference in 1990. However, contradictory to the aims set out within this meeting for change, more carbon has been used since then than ever before. This will undoubtedly lead us to question whether, despite rising in prominence particularly over the last few years, attitudes towards climate change have really changed at all. Nevertheless, I found it encouraging to learn of Keith Scholey’s invitation to the World Economic Forum’s Davos conference. This suggests to me that film is having an influence on people’s attitudes towards climate change as a short film specifically targeted at these big businesses has catalysed change and a want to know more about the issue. This seems to be a large and positive step forward and furthermore increases the profile of the movement. 

However, overall whilst I found the event to be both informative and emotive, I did think that it perhaps was guilty of playing to its audience. Admittedly, this will be hard to eliminate. Though Netflix did not, apparently, steer the filming of this series in any particular direction, we must be mindful of the fact that they want to buy what will sell. In triggering an emotive response, in showing us the very worst of the worst, people will buy in to their product. However, it was acknowledged that the reality is slightly different. One such case was that of Madagascar and deforestation. A jungle where filming took place was reportedly completely destroyed on returning. Whilst this is one case that features in the series, Scholey explained that this was a very very extreme circumstance. Despite this, the film as a form of art is seen as a tool for speeding up our change in perspective on climate change. It unquestionably brings to our attention what we would not have otherwise known of: all of the destruction, deforestation and death taking place across our globe. Therefore, we can see that there is value in the humanities.