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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
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3 min read | |
David Attenborough tells Prince William he was appalled to see what | |
humanity has done to the ocean | |
By Olivia Kemp and Max Foster, CNN | |
Updated: | |
1:01 PM EDT, Sat June 7, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
has described the human impact on the deep ocean floor as | |
“unspeakably awful” in a conversation with to mark the launch of | |
the veteran broadcaster’s latest documentary. | |
In a video filmed at London’s Royal Festival Hall in early May and | |
posted to Kensington Palace’s social media channels Saturday, the | |
biologist and natural historian reflected on the scale of human damage | |
inflicted beneath the surface – much of it, he said, invisible to the | |
public eye. | |
“The awful thing is that it’s hidden from most people,” | |
Attenborough said. “What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just | |
unspeakably awful. If you did anything remotely like it on land, | |
everybody would be up in arms.” | |
The pioneering naturalist added that he was “appalled” when he | |
“first saw the shots taken for this film” that showed the state of | |
the ocean floor. | |
The feature-length documentary explores “how his lifetime has | |
coincided with the great age of ocean discovery” and “why a healthy | |
ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing.” | |
The film will be available to stream online from Sunday, which is World | |
Oceans Day. | |
“If this film does anything, if it just shifts public awareness, it | |
will be very, very important,” Attenborough said. “I can only hope | |
that people who see it will recognize that something must be done | |
before we destroy this great treasure.” | |
The 99-year-old broadcaster told William that it is “heartening” to | |
have an “entree to people’s front rooms.” | |
“Whole families sitting at home in comfort can actually suddenly see | |
this coming up. Films like this can expose something new,” he said. | |
William, reflecting on the ocean’s unexplored frontiers, said the | |
idea that there may be oceanic regions no human has ever seen was | |
“fascinating.” He asked Attenborough whether that possibility still | |
exists. | |
“Beyond question,” the naturalist replied. “We’re in the | |
situation now when, in fact, it is possible to go into places where | |
nothing like you has ever been there before.” | |
The Prince of Wales added that the opportunity for discovery offers | |
“a really optimistic excitement sort of moment for the next | |
generation to be able to be bigger explorers.” | |
A for over a decade, William has repeatedly cited Attenborough as an | |
“inspiration” throughout the years, most recently in connection | |
with his “Guardians” docuseries, which focuses on the work of | |
wildlife protection rangers. | |
In 2020, the pair launched The Earthshot Prize – an ambitious | |
environmental initiative that seeks to offer green solutions to some of | |
the world’s most pressing challenges, including ocean protection. The | |
prize awards £1 million (about $1.2 million) annually to five winners. | |
Organizers hope that by 2030, at least 50 pioneering environmental | |
solutions will have been funded. | |
“Ocean” builds on Attenborough’s years of collaboration with | |
marine scientists working to explore and document the deep sea. Its | |
release comes amid concerns over threats such as deep-sea mining, | |
biodiversity decline, and the vulnerability of ocean ecosystems to | |
climate change. | |
The documentary also arrives just ahead of the United Nations Ocean | |
Conference taking place later this month in Nice, France. Member states | |
have agreed in principle to protect 30% of the world’s oceans, but | |
progress has been slow. In “Ocean,” Attenborough calls for more | |
urgency. | |
CNN’s Nell Lewis contributed to this report. | |
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