“We showed the world that we can come together to solve a crisis.”
You would be forgiven for thinking that as an environmentalist and founder of a plastic pollution-fighting organisation, I might have finished 2020 crying into my pillow. Single-use plastic surged as a result of PPE being used to prevent the spread of COVID-19, reusable cups and bottles were off the menu in most cafés and restaurants, and governments around the world were overturning plastic bans. (Happily, not ours! More on that in a moment.)
But, thankfully, I haven’t been deterred and, instead of crying, I found myself rejoicing over all the good that came from 2020 when it comes to saving our planet. Admittedly, eco-tears were shed twice last year, thanks to Sir David Attenborough’s Extinction: The Facts and A Life on Our Planet programmes – both absolutely heart-breaking and both absolutely essential viewing. But overall, I’m starting 2021 with a smile on my face, and here’s why…
Saving for the future
There was huge progress in 2020 in greening the finance sector. Once we’d woken up to the fact that most of our pensions and investments were still funding fossil fuels, fracking and deforestation (something I talk about in more detail in How to Save the World for Free) we put two and two together. We realised that there really was no point saving for our (or our children’s future) if our very savings were putting that future at risk. We put pressure on our big institutions to divest from fossil fuels and we switched to ethical pensions and bank accounts.
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Jump Around - Bagheera Kiplingi - The acrobatic spider with a predilection for veggie food
Spiders eat flies, right? everyone knows that the 45,000 or so spiders in the world are all obligate carnivores, more or less – eating other animals, mainly invertebrates. Nature, however, loves an exception, and one particular spider missed out on that ecological memo. It goes by the wonderful scientific name of Bagheera kiplingi, and its claim to fame is that its diet is – at least mostly – vegetarian.
Female of the Species - Zebras - A strong sisterhood is key to staying safe
Zebras are masters of confusion. Their collective noun is ‘a dazzle’, which is fitting since their bodies and behaviour have been surprising scientists for centuries.
See It, Save It? - Wildlife tourism can be a powerful ally in protecting nature - but it can also harm it. We weigh up the pros and cons.
The sums of wildlife travel aren’t as simple as more tourists equals happier nature. How much did my visit really contribute to the conservation of Lady Liuwa and her habitat – and was that outweighed by carbon emissions from my flights? Did my presence disturb the animals’ natural behaviour more than it reduced the threat of poaching or benefited local communities?The question of whether wildlife travel is, on balance, good for wildlife is a complex one – and there’s no simple answer.
Can Your Really Offset Emissions? - Planning an overseas wildlife-watching trip entails facing some inconvenient truths
Imagine (or maybe you don't need to) that you hanker after the safari trip of a lifetime in sub-Saharan Africa. A 17-day tour beginning at the iconic Victoria Falls, passing through Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, taking in some of the continent’s most wildlife-rich national parks, and ending on the lush island of Zanzibar.
Metamorphosis: a life-changing event
WITH EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST JV CHAMARY
New series for BBC One: Asia
Settle in this autumn for a new natural-history extravaganza on BBC One and iPlayer: the longawaited Asia, presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Loss of Antarctic sea ice could impact seabird food supply
Albatrosses and petrels may be forced to fly further to feed
Tarsiers in trouble
Urgent action is needed to ensure survival of the Yoda-like primate
SNAP-CHAT
Chien Lee on shrew loos, rogue drones and being rained out of bed
VISIONS OF NATURE
The winners of the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition 2024, from David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
