Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III, the latest installment in the landmark series, continues to showcase the breathtaking beauty and incredible resilience of the natural world. However, in true Attenborough style, it is far more than just a visual spectacle. It also serves as a crucial, urgent warning about the state of our planet and the profound impact of human activity. One of the most stark and illuminating messages delivered in the series directly links our dinner plates to the destruction of vital ecosystems.
Attenborough pulled back the curtain on one of the most critical battlegrounds for biodiversity: the Amazon rainforest. He revealed a deeply unsettling statistic: currently, an area of the Amazon rainforest equivalent to the size of Wales is being lost every single year. This isn’t random destruction; the primary driver behind this vast deforestation is the clearing of land to make room for cattle ranching and for growing vast quantities of soya. Crucially, the majority of this soya is not destined for human consumption, but rather to be used as feed for livestock, primarily cattle, around the world.
The issue, Attenborough explained, extends far beyond the Amazon. He presented the staggering fact that globally, a colossal 75 per cent of the world’s agricultural land is currently used to raise and support livestock. This includes grazing land and land dedicated to growing feed crops like soya.
The contrast with a potential alternative is stark and hopeful. Attenborough highlighted that if humanity were to adopt a plant-based or significantly meat-reduced lifestyle, we would need only around 25 per cent of this same agricultural land to grow food directly for human consumption. The implications of this are immense. Imagine the land freed up – an area equivalent to the combined landmasses of the USA, Europe, China, and Russia – which could be returned to nature, allowing crucial ecosystems to recover and thrive, absorbing carbon and supporting biodiversity.
Attenborough didn’t shy away from the harsh realities on the ground in places like the Amazon. The process of deforestation itself is often brutal and illegal. Much of the land is cleared by burning, a practice that incinerates habitats, trapping, killing, and severely maiming countless wild animals unable to escape the flames. The cycle of suffering doesn’t end there; the cattle raised on this newly cleared land are ultimately destined for slaughter, perpetuating a system built on destruction.
Perhaps most chilling is the way this seemingly local destruction fuels global chaos. Amazonian deforestation is a major contributor to climate change, stripping the planet of a vital carbon sink and altering global weather patterns. Attenborough highlighted how these changing climates in places like Africa are now leading to unprecedented plagues of locusts, destroying vital crops and livelihoods – a direct, albeit distant, consequence of decisions made regarding land use thousands of miles away, often driven by demand for meat.
The message from Planet Earth III is devastatingly clear and urgent. Our dietary choices, particularly the widespread demand for meat, have a profound and destructive impact on the planet’s health and stability. The production of our “burgers and steaks” is quite literally costing the Earth, not just in terms of carbon emissions, but in lost forests, dead wildlife, displaced communities, and altered climates globally. Attenborough’s latest series serves as a powerful, undeniable reminder that the health of the planet is inextricably linked to what we choose to eat.
Worldwide Temple of Aurora 