Sir David Attenborough is a hero among lovers of nature, quality television, and general human decency. And among stoners everywhere, of course. What a man, what a voice. Now 90 years old, Attenborough has narrated much of the best nature documentary programming in history, notably "Planet Earth" and "Planet Earth II," the latter which just wrapped up in Britain, with the final episode airing on Sunday.
In the States, we've seen notable scenes from "Planet Earth II," such as the miraculous clip of an iguana escaping from scores of racer snakes on a rocky beach -- which recently received dubbed narration from ex-Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch -- but we'll have to wait until the show becomes available on various streaming platforms to watch full episodes. You can, however, watch Attenborough's final sign-off message from the recent finale. It's a heart-rending address that should be heard by all peoples of this Earth.
Standing on an outdoor platform on The Shard skyscraper, overlooking the city of London, Attenborough reminds his fellow humans of how the fate of the natural world is in their hands. The fate of humanity itself, too; the two are inseparable.
"Looking at this great metropolis, the ingenuity with which we continue to reshape the surface of our planet is very striking. But it's also sobering. It reminds me of just how easy it is for us to lose our connection to the natural world. Yet it's on this connection that the future of both humanity and the natural world will depend. It's surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us but for all life on earth."
Fortuitously, it was recently reported that more young people (16-35) in Britain watched the new "Planet Earth" than "The X Factor," the popular reality music competition show that occupies the same time slot. Hear, hear Sir David!