David Attenborough joins Instagram, at 94, as first post declares "saving the planet is now a communications challenge"
Sir David Attenborough has joined Instagram aged 94, as his first post declares saving the planet is a "communications challenge".
The documentary maker has enlisted his younger colleagues to help him join the social media site. After 60 years making television programmes, he has decided that he needs to sign up to social media in order to get his message out to a wider audience.
His colleagues Jonnie Hughes and Colin Butfield, who have also worked on Attenborough’s upcoming film and book A Life On Our Planet have been filming Sir David in posts to be uploaded onto his account.
In his first, the climate change campaigner says he has joined the platform because “saving our planet is now a communications challenge. We know what to do, we just need the will.”
He adds in his address to camera: "The world is in trouble.
"Continents are on fire. Glaciers are melting. Coral reefs are dying. Fish are disappearing from our oceans. The list goes on and on.”
As well as videos of the celebrated broadcaster, followers can expect to see exclusive clips from behind-the-scenes filming his new documentary, as well as posts in collaboration with The World Wildlife Fund for Nature.
Sir David's new film will feature the beautiful shots of the natural world viewers have come to know and love, but it is also set to paint a stark picture of the dire straits our planet is in.
Themes will include deforestation and ocean pollution as well as the effect global warming is having on nature.
Colin Butfield, WWF’s Executive Producer for David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, said: “We cannot ignore the warning signs from nature any longer. This film presents a snapshot of global biodiversity loss in one single lifetime, and the damage could be far greater in the next if we do not work together globally to tackle the issues. The solutions already exist – David shares them in this film as part of his vision for the future – but it’s now critical, for our own survival, that we embrace them.”
The film, David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, will premiere in cinemas on 28 September before launching on Netflix globally on 4 October. The book, titled A Life On Our Planet – My Witness Statement and Vision for the Future, will be released on 1 October.
