The nature of human beings is that they'd far rather face the disaster that is happening tonight than the one that is happening tomorrow.

We keep putting on programmes about famine in Ethiopia; that’s what’s happening. Too many people there. They can’t support themselves — and it’s not an inhuman thing to say. It’s the case. Until humanity manages to sort itself out and get a coordinated view about the planet it’s going to get worse and worse.

Being in touch with the natural world is crucial.

You've got to be fairly solemn [about the environment]. I mean the mere notion that there are three times as many people on Earth as there were when I started making television. How can the Earth accommodate them? When people, including politicians, set their faces against looking at the consequences-it's just unbelievable that anyone could ignore it.

I have no doubt that the fundamental problem the planet faces is the enormous increase in the human population

Its about cherishing the woodland at the bottom of your garden or the stream that runs through it. It affects every aspect of life.

Dealing with global warming doesn't mean we have all got to suddenly stop breathing. Dealing with global warming means that we have to stop waste, and if you travel for no reason whatsoever, that is a waste.