A personal view of the planet from Richard Brock, a producer at the BBC Natural History Unit for 35 years The Life (or Death?) OF PLANET EARTH Planet Crunch by Richard Brock Planet Crunch THE LIFE (OR DEATH?) OF PLANET EARTH by Richard Brock This book and the three films are dedicated, with much gratitude, to my mother, Eileen, and my sister, Cherry, who helped them happen in our efforts to survive the crunch of planet Earth. This book © copyright 2021 Richard Brock Unauthorised reproduction of any part of this publication by any means including photocopying is an infringement of copyright. Written by Richard Brock Typing Moira Sage Film image delivery Gareth Trezise Abbreviations Because many of the sources of the material I’ve included vary considerably, so do the forms of abbreviation such as % and per cent; trn, b and m = trillion, billion (bn) and million; UN and U.N.; km – kilometres; I do hope you can understand – literally! Sustainability and the environment. As part of my commitment to demonstrable environmental management, conserving raw materials and energy, my printed materials are sustainable wherever possible. I select printers who recycle, reuse and prioritise sustainable practice and who have gained FSC ® and ISO 14001 Environmental Standard certification. As well as other planet-friendly work-place initiatives, our printer guarantees: all paper and cardboard waste is recycled, all printing plates are recycled, use of vegetable-based inks, papers from managed forests and use PUBLISHED BY RICHARD BROCK, of recycled papers when appropriate. THE BROCK INITIATIVE, CHEW MAGNA, BRISTOL, UK Contents Chapter 1 – Foreword ..........................................4 Chapter 7 – Fishing ............................................32 Chapter 11 – Energy and Oil ............................54 Chapter 15 – Money ...........................................86 Richard Brock’s introduction to his method of working i.e. A very obvious food chain involves fishing lines and nets. It’s Oil has seemed to be the solution to human needs. Not just plastic Can money save the planet? Much is carefully hidden away or searching the media for appropriate content to be included in a a fairly primitive form of hunting which started with simply everywhere, but for transport, heating, cooling, in fact to us, living exists in the value of human property. If the people really wanted total of 19 chapters. 2021 is a crucial year for planet Earth, and the collecting shellfish or seaweed off the shore, on to massive anywhere, anyhow. But now it’s changing fast. “Big oil” is getting to set aside, protect, re-wild nature it could surely be achieved. media have featured this fact – alongside Covid-19 of course. industrial freezer trawlers that can dredge a whole marine smaller – and greener. Really? “Green-washing” is a trick that Forget Mars and the Moon and the astronomical costs involved? ecosystem to death. Which is a shame because fish, given the needs watching, because immense corporations like Shell, BP, Try to reduce that massive spending on military hardware. Chapter 2 – Greta Thunberg .............................. 6 chance, can multiply exceedingly. The answer is to set aside Exxon and their shareholders (you, me?) are terrified of words like Question the costs of the unsustainable fashion circus, especially is a phenomenon. A little schoolgirl from Sweden who doesn’t fly reserves for the species to breed and be protected when small. “decline” “reduce” and “loss”. They imply failure and on a planet “fast fashion”. Take a hard look at places of great consumption like but uses boat or train for environmental reasons. No one is too With enforced fishing quotas the future could be bright for fishing addicted to endless growth it simply won’t succeed as a policy. Dubai, “bling city” – which we do in this chapter. small to make a difference. From school strikes to presidents she forever. Millions of people worldwide depend on aquatic food in Much has to change with that attitude and just words simply won’t makes her points forcibly and persistently in her determination to both sea and fresh water. But as long as a giant bluefin tuna (“the do to deflect the problem. Chapter 16 – Trump ..........................................94 fix the climate crisis and rescue biodiversity. Porsche of the sea”) can assuage the greed of a Japanese customer The Donald. The Loser. Air Force None. Gone. Can Joe Biden, for £1 million, sorting out the industry will be a challenge. More Chapter 12 – Climate Change ..........................64 the new President, turn terrible Trump’s plans around? fish fights? Give a fish a chance! They’re good food. Chapter 3 – Biodiversity ....................................10 And that couldn’t be more true than with the climate. Originally, A celebration of the wonders of nature on our unique blue planet, mild “climate change”, to “climate warming” to “climate crisis”, Chapter 17 – Aviation, Tourism and Travel ..98 Chapter 8 – Food ................................................36 a mere dot in the solar system. A wonderful mosaic of life from to climate emergency. In the shadow of a pandemic Covid-19, The steady growth of this apparently glamorous sector has gone plants and insects up (in evolution) through the fish, amphibians, So far we’ve looked at major sources of food for the human the importance of this subject has been weakened, though it will into reverse, especially airlines and cruise companies. Before reptiles, birds, mammals and humans. Our species has changed planet. From the “Three F’s” – forests, farming and fishing it’s probably turn out to be much more important than the much- Covid-19 it seemed the sky was the limit, for aviation with cheaper the planet hugely, and so the challenge into 2021 is to try and pretty obvious we’ve exploited just about every possible edible, publicized coronavirus. Ecologically, the disease may reduce the fares, more destinations, so, as it was turning out as a result, much repair the damage whilst there is still time – just. There are some or drinkable product from our activities everywhere we can human population pressure on the planet (the “unsurvival of the more of the dreaded CO2, adding to the climate crisis. Greedy encouraging signs as our “theme bird” the white stork will reveal. reach. Aviation (until Covid-19) could bring anything, anywhere, unfittest”). That may enable nature to recover, with help from companies (and their shareholders?), and the disastrous Trump particularly if the price was right. In some rich countries like the surviving humans. That’s a controversial view, but the next few didn’t want to know. But they do now. Is “now” too late? UK and Europe the choice, in say, large supermarkets is enormous, years will reveal the results of “Planet Crunch”. Chapter 4 – Mural ..............................................20 with competition between them always fierce. Nature often avoids Greta appears again – this time on a wall at a supermarket in Chapter 18 – China / Population ...................104 this problem by, for example, giraffes eating the top-most leaves Chapter 13 – Water .............................................72 Bristol, England! Her forceful eyes see the shoppers collecting all The influence of China, in one form or another, is appearing right down to a hippo at ground or underwater level, or a wart hog sorts of “stuff”, much of which we take for granted, with little idea In this chapter we follow the familiar journey of water from melting everywhere, pushed by the appetite for just about everything, in its burrow underground. where it comes from, and what the true cost to the planet is – not ice, rain, downwards, via streams and rivers to that rather different of 1.4 billion people. That’s a lot of mouths to feed and huge just at the check-out. For example, now the notorious palm oil may kind of water, the sea. In all its forms water is essential to life, and consumption by a fast-increasing middle class. When you add in Chapter 9 – Supermarkets .................................44 lead to the deaths of orangutans the other side of the world where it’s been manipulated massively by humans. In many countries the demands of the USA, Europe, India, it comes to an alarming ancient rainforests are felled to enable us to indulge in ice cream, Some shoppers would say there’s not much that’s super about rivers have been blocked for hydropower or irrigation. The impact total for the future of planet Earth. In fact, the Crunch. shampoo and cosmetics. And more and more people want more these ever-expanding sellers of everything…all that queuing, of these large dams affects fish migrations, and the resulting and more “stuff” from a planet that may have already reached its searching for the best price…until you have to go back once again. reservoirs may silt up, meaning yet more dams have to be built. Chapter 19 – Nature and Us ............................122 limits. Simply ingesting so much merchandise is a big complex job for Pollution is often a problem but these days big efforts are being So, is there any room for nature left? Can we live together all the main eight or so supermarket chains in the UK. But that’s made to clean up these vital waterways. That’s going to be even on a limited blue dot? Probably not, at the rate we’re going. nothing compared to China where, on Single’s Day consumers more important as more people on the planet want more and more Chapter 5 – Forests .............................................22 Consumption and population are negative pressures. However, spent $1 billion in just 1 ½ minutes. That makes Black Friday in of it. The lungs of the planet are ill. Like any living thing our forests being a clever species of considerable initiative, it’s possible the West look like a bring-and-buy sale. But, either way, every item need help and in some places they’re getting it by us re-planting (just) to change (if Covid-19 doesn’t get us first).