Al-Amn Magazine

«The way we humans live on Earth is sending it into a decline,» he laments. Attenborough has lived an extraordinary life and has traveled extensively to gain the knowledge and insights he now shares with the world. Yet he began just like an ordinary young job applicant. It is hard to believe that he was initially rejected when he applied for a job at the BBC in 1952. He was turned down for a radio producer role, but later accepted as a trainee. Today he has created more than a hundred documentaries, written 29 books, and inspired a love of nature in viewers and readers around the world. Attenborough also won accolades from the British Academy Film Awards and has become Bafta’s record- holder: He is the only person to have won Baftas for programs in black and white, color, HD, 3D, and 4K resolution. Even in his 90s, he continues to explore the natural world, including bold underwater expeditions. A plant was even named after him: the Nepenthes attenboroughii, a giant carnivorous plant named in his honor, is large enough to trap and digest small animals. He is one of the most traveled people in history. For «The Life of Birds» documentary, he traveled 256,000 miles, which is equivalent to circling the Earth ten times. Attenborough has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career, recognizing his contributions to broadcasting, environmental advocacy, and natural history. He has won multiple Emmys for Outstanding Narration, including for «Seven Worlds,» «One Planet.» and «Planet Earth III.» In 2022, the United Nations Environment Program honored him with the Champion of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to environmental protection. He was knighted twice: first by the Queen in 1985, and again in 2022, with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St. George, for his services to broadcasting and conservation. He also won the Peabody Award for his outstanding contributions to documentary filmmaking; the National Television Awards (UK) for the Most Popular TV Expert award for «Mammals»; and the Royal Television Society Award for his work in wildlife broadcasting. Attenborough truly embodies Pope Leo’s idea of a meaningful, well-lived life: «In a world wounded by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest, we must be a sign of unity and communion.» May his life be an inspiration to many. manilatimes.net