Latest news with #TheBluePlanet
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
How the world is failing to tackle plastic pollution that's literally strangling the life out of our seas
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Plastic. It's everywhere. So much so that it often passes us by. A few years ago, I tried to go without plastic for a month. I was doing well until I bought sandwiches presented, by the supermarket, in a paper bag. Or so I thought. Inside, the sandwiches were nestled in single-use plastic. That defeat is, for me, a metaphor for the challenge we face in trying to tackle what has become one of the biggest obstacles to a healthier climate and planet. And why I believed it was vital that our UK Government took the lead in the UN Global Plastics Treaty talks which took place in Geneva until Friday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The talks ended having made no progress, no statement, and no real promise of improvement in the state of our oceans and the threat to wildlife. Instead, it seems the attraction of oil production wealth won out. Plastic pollution is a growing and global problem (Picture: Christopher Furlong) | Getty Images Oil wealth wins the day Representatives from more than 170 countries had been aiming to finalise a legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution. The negotiations followed five previous rounds of talks that also failed to produce any agreement. Although more than 100 countries support cuts to global plastic production, it was that wealth from oil which encouraged some nations to hold out against any production caps and blocked progress. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ironically, I can see some justification for limited production. We do need some oil to see us through the just transition to a greener economy, and to have the capability to manufacture things like pharmaceuticals. In terms of plastic itself, it is still essential in some areas which we wouldn't want to see undermined, such as medical devices. There must be limits. All around us, despite the fact that so many everyday plastic items are now recyclable, they are still turning up on our beaches, in the stomachs of dead marine animals or around the necks of young seals, literally strangling the life out of our seas. Like so many people, for me it was Sir David Attenborough's documentary series, The Blue Planet, which drove home the reality of the danger to our environment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Perhaps it is our island existence which make us more aware as a community of the value of protecting our marine environment, but if we are to succeed, we needed to make the case more effectively in Geneva. So much hope In a recent Commons debate, my colleague Alistair Carmichael reminded us that 'plastics as an industry emits more carbon than the entire global aviation and shipping industries'. Just one crucial reason why so many of us had invested so much hope in the Geneva talks to come up with an agreement. Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency had defined one of the things they wanted to see as 'a global target to reduce production of primary plastic polymers and related elements, such as reporting and national measures'. They had also called for phasing out of harmful chemicals in plastic, improvements in the design of plastic products to protect human health and financial support for least developed economies. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That the Geneva conference should have failed so abjectly to fulfil any of those goals should be yet another wakeup call. We have to hope we get another chance.
USA Today
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Mia Threapleton is Kate Winslet's daughter. Now she's Wes Anderson's latest star.
Mia Threapleton is Kate Winslet's daughter. Now she's Wes Anderson's latest star. Show Caption Hide Caption 'The Phoenician Scheme' trailer: Benicio del Toro is a wanted man Benicio del Toro plays an industrialist with plenty of rivals and a plan to build a grand project in Wes Anderson's "The Phoenician Scheme." Mia Threapleton knows she'll be a Halloween costume. It's something she's been told often since signing on for a starring role in 'The Phoenician Scheme' (in theaters nationwide June 6), the quirky new offering from director Wes Anderson. His idiosyncratic characters have become frequent fodder for spooky season, and Threapleton's pipe-puffing, smoky-eyed novitiate Liesl is destined to join their dress-up ranks. Every time someone says that, 'it just feels more and more bizarre,' says Threapleton, 24, the daughter of Kate Winslet and filmmaker Jim Threapleton. The chance to create a new Anderson character 'still feels surreal. Every day, I seem to be waking up and just thinking, 'Oh, my God, how is this happening?' ' 'Phoenician Scheme' follows Liesl as she's plucked from the convent by her estranged father, Zsa-zsa (Benicio del Toro), to help him get his affairs in order after a near-death experience. The comedy is perfectly tailored to Threapleton, who shares her mom's self-deprecating charm and delightful wit. Here's what to know about the rising star: Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox Mia Threapleton initially wanted to be a marine biologist As a young kid obsessed with whales and docuseries 'The Blue Planet,' Threapleton dreamed for many years of becoming a marine biologist. 'I feel far more at home under the water than floating on top of it – sadly, I don't have gills,' Threapleton quips. 'I still love the natural world. And then at some point, I realized that I'm horrifyingly dyslexic and can't do quick math, so I don't think that's quite going to go the way I planned.' How Jodie Foster sparked her love of acting Growing up, Threapleton recalls putting on shows in her garden and playing a lion in an after-school drama club at age 7. She adored Anderson's movies 'Moonrise Kingdom' and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox,' although it was seeing a young Jodie Foster in gangster musical 'Bugsy Malone' that inspired her to become an actress. 'I remember thinking, 'This person is amazing!' I wanted to be her,' Threapleton says. Eventually, at 15, she started signing up to casting sites, sending her information 'out into the ether' for open calls and auditions. Her parents were initially unaware: 'I didn't actually tell them I'd done that,' Threapleton says. 'That wasn't a conscious decision, I just kind of forgot to tell them – as you do!' She made her major film debut in the dystopian drama 'Shadows' At 13, Threapleton made a brief cameo in 2014's 'A Little Chaos' alongside her mom. But it was the 2020 post-apocalyptic thriller 'Shadows,' after she graduated high school, that marked her first professional acting role. 'I was so relieved to not be in school anymore, so when I was done, I threw myself into wanting to audition,' Threapleton says. 'It was the first-ever full film script that I had seen properly and I just inhaled it into my brain.' The audition process lasted for a couple of weeks before she learned she got the part: 'I was carrying laundry downstairs when my phone rang. I just sat on the floor – I couldn't believe I'd done that.' Mia Threapleton also made a movie with famous mom Kate Winslet The up-and-comer has worked steadily ever since, with roles in Apple TV+ series 'The Buccaneers' and Starz's 'Dangerous Liaisons.' She also starred in the British TV film 'I Am Ruth' with her mom and brother Joe Anders (whose dad is Sam Mendes). Winslet won best actress at the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA) for the mother-daughter drama, which tackles how social media harms mental health. On the set, 'I did learn that my mum and I are extremely different when it comes to the ways that we prepare and the things we find useful,' Threapleton says. 'I mean, we've got different brains; we're different people. It was a really fascinating experience and an incredibly intense experience at the same time, just because of the subject matter.' There's one major misconception about being Kate Winslet's daughter Despite being the daughter of an Oscar-winning A-lister, Threapleton insists that her childhood was normal: filled with 'running around in fields, getting really dirty knees and making pillow forts.' 'It does seem like this misconception that people have,' Threapleton says. 'I really didn't go to film sets as a kid – I could count on one and a half hands the amount of times that I did. My mum really kept it very separate: Home was home and work was work. The analogy that feels most accurate is that it would've felt like a lawyer taking their child into a courtroom.' Now, 'I'm really grateful I didn't have those experiences as a kid because it meant that in the few opportunities that I have had to do work, I've learned an awful lot. And that's all just happened through my own experiences of doing those things.' She hopes Wes Anderson asks her back after 'Phoenician Scheme' One of Threapleton's favorite recent films is 'Anatomy of a Fall,' and she's itching to work with Sandra Hüller next. She has not yet had a conversation about reuniting with Anderson, now that she's part of his troupe. 'I'm just taking every day one day at a time,' Threapleton says. 'I didn't think this was going to happen for me. I had so many different backup plans: Could I be a photographer? A painter? A sound engineer? What could I do that's still creative if this doesn't work? So I'm just letting it all wash around me right now.'
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Sir David Attenborough's Scots cameraman backs groundbreaking 'ecocide' law
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Celebrated BBC wildlife photographer Doug Allan has hailed MSP Monica Lennon's 'powerful' proposals to tackle eco criminals. Sir David Attenborough's award-winning cameraman has backed groundbreaking legislation being published at Holyrood this week which would outlaw 'ecocide' in Scotland. Doug Allan – world-renowned for his work on BBC shows including Life, Planet Earth and The Blue Planet – hailed MSP Monica Lennon's 'powerful' plan to hold polluters to account through a Scottish Ecocide Bill. Under the Labour politician's proposals, company bosses who cause severe or widespread damage to ecosystems could be prosecuted and face up to 20-year prison terms. After years of planning and consultation, Lennon is set to publish her draft Ecocide (Prevention) Bill at Holyrood on May 29. If passed it would be the first law of its kind in the UK. Bafta and Emmy award-winning Allan, born in Fife, said it can't come soon enough. The Sunday Mail previously teamed up with the celebrated wildlife photographer and cameraman in our successful campaign to ban polluting plastic wet wipes. Allan, also a marine biologist, said: 'I've always believed that there's a sort of Scottish psyche which is more aware of the natural environment. "Having travelled the world, I can tell you Scotland is one of the loveliest countries out there in terms of the wildernesses that you can find and the freedom to roam about them. "There's so much that Scotland's got going for it and an ecocide law has the potential to be powerful. 'I just hope it gets passed and then starts to have an effect as soon as possible.' The proposals were first championed by the Sunday Mail in 2021 as Glasgow was preparing to host COP26. Experts say ecocide laws could capture large-scale acts of eco destruction like river pollution, deforestation and oil spills. They could also target energy giants behind new fossil fuel schemes which pump even more carbon into the atmosphere – as the world hurtles towards catastrophic climate change. Allan warned political turmoil and events like the war in Ukraine had seen action on the climate and environment stall with concerns rising over the cost of net zero. But he said: "What's good about this Bill is it actually goes after the people who are causing the damage, so it shouldn't cost the government much to put it into force - and we should be extracting something from the people who cause the damage. 'I've started talking about climate breakdown rather than climate change, because climate change is much too gentle a word. 'If you've got something that breaks down, you've got to fix it – and that's what we've done. We have broken down the climate. 'People wouldn't damage the environment if there wasn't some profit motive sitting away at the back of it somewhere. "And this Bill gets to grips with the economic system which is causing that damage in the first place.' Lennon said: 'This robust plan to criminalise severe environmental crimes has been a long time in the making, with the help of world-leading experts and community voices across the country. 'It's brilliant to have the backing of legendary wildlife cameraman and photographer Doug Allan, whose work underwater and in the polar regions has brought the undeniable case for ecocide law to our screens.' It comes as the latest documentary by Sir David, 99, has sparked huge public debate over destructive industrial fishing activities, some of which experts say could meet the bar for ecocide. As well as exploring the world's incredible marine wildlife, 'Ocean With David Attenborough ' exposes the grim trail of destruction left by bottom-trawling and dredging vessels which rip up the seabed, featuring unprecedented underwater footage. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In Scotland, more than 90 per cent of our Marine Protected Areas still allow trawlers to operate. The Blue Marine Foundation, which will screen the film for free for hundreds of UK schools, is also backing Lennon's Bill. Jonny Hughes from the conservation charity said: 'If allowing our supposedly protected areas to be trashed by the most destructive fishing gears isn't ecocide, it's hard to imagine what would be. 'David Attenborough's latest film shows a stark but accurate picture of what's going on in our waters, including where there is 'protection' – at least on paper. 'Ministers cannot criticise deforestation or other ecologically damaging policies in place around the world while allowing this to happen in our own seas.' Ocean with David Attenborough is in cinemas now with a wider release on Disney+ on June 8.
Rhyl Journal
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
William praises Attenborough's dedication as he wishes him happy 99th birthday
William met Sir David on Tuesday before attending a private screening of the broadcaster's new film, Ocean With David Attenborough, at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The prince, in a message released on social media, wrote: 'As he turns 99 today, in his new film, Sir David has once again reminded us of the need to protect natural habitats – this time those beneath the ocean. 'He has dedicated his life to ensuring we understand the realities of what mankind is doing to the planet. As he turns 99 today, in his new film, Sir David has once again reminded us of the need to protect natural habitats – this time those beneath the ocean. He has dedicated his life to ensuring we understand the realities of what mankind is doing to the planet. However hard… — The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 8, 2025 'However hard-hitting his message is, Sir David always leaves us with a sense of hope and optimism that all is not lost and this film is no different. 'We must act together, with urgency, to restore our oceans. Happy Birthday, David. W' The naturalist has been on our TV screens for more than seven decades presenting programmes such as Planet Earth and The Blue Planet. Mike Gunton, creative director at BBC Studios Natural History Unit, told the PA news agency that Sir David must have 'one of the greatest legacies of any human being ever.' Mr Gunton, who has worked with Sir David on documentaries including Attenborough And The Giant Dinosaur and Bafta-winning Planet Earth II, said: 'Each generation has its own kind of personal legacy from him, and I think that's remarkable'. 'But also, there's a broader, I suppose, global legacy, which I think is that he has shown us wonders, he's helped us understand wonders, and he's encouraged us to protect these wonders. 'If you could do that in a lifetime, and speak to hundreds upon hundreds of millions of people and inspire them to do all that, that's got to be one of the greatest legacies of any human being ever. 'And I think he's aware of that, and the responsibility of that, and he often talks about the privilege of being able to do that, and it's a privilege for those of us who have worked with him to have.' Mr Gunton began working with the broadcaster aged 29 and said it has been 'a life-defining experience' for him. He told PA: 'Every programme I have made with him has been a remarkable experience which the audience have always found completely memorable and worthwhile and that's a joy for anybody, to make things that are remembered, you know, they're historic, they're part of human history.' Sir David was born David Frederick Attenborough on May 8 1926, in London, the son of an academic and principal of University College Leicester. Before joining the BBC in 1952, he studied geology at the University of Cambridge and served two years in the Royal Navy. He made his reputation with the ground-breaking Zoo Quest series, which he hosted for 10 years on the BBC. In 1965 he became controller of BBC2, overseeing the advent of colour TV, and he later became BBC director of programming. Ultimately, however, life as a broadcast executive did not appeal and he returned with relief to his early passions, programme-making and filming wildlife. His famous whispering voice captured the imaginations of the nation in 1979 when he was seen mingling and bonding with a family of gorillas in Life On Earth and its sequel, The Living Planet, in 1984. The following year, he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II before being awarded a Knight Grand Cross honour in 2022. The TV presenter has two children, Susan and Robert, with his late wife Jane, whom he married in 1950. In recent years, Sir David, who resides in Richmond, London, has presented shows including Dynasties, Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III. In celebration of his 99th birthday, his new documentary about the health of the ocean airs in cinemas from Thursday. Also to mark his birthday, John Murray Press is giving at least 1,000 copies of his new book, Ocean: Earth's Last Wilderness, to schools and libraries across the UK.
Glasgow Times
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
William praises Attenborough's dedication as he wishes him happy 99th birthday
William met Sir David on Tuesday before attending a private screening of the broadcaster's new film, Ocean With David Attenborough, at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The prince, in a message released on social media, wrote: 'As he turns 99 today, in his new film, Sir David has once again reminded us of the need to protect natural habitats – this time those beneath the ocean. 'He has dedicated his life to ensuring we understand the realities of what mankind is doing to the planet. As he turns 99 today, in his new film, Sir David has once again reminded us of the need to protect natural habitats – this time those beneath the ocean. He has dedicated his life to ensuring we understand the realities of what mankind is doing to the planet. However hard… — The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 8, 2025 'However hard-hitting his message is, Sir David always leaves us with a sense of hope and optimism that all is not lost and this film is no different. 'We must act together, with urgency, to restore our oceans. Happy Birthday, David. W' The naturalist has been on our TV screens for more than seven decades presenting programmes such as Planet Earth and The Blue Planet. Mike Gunton, creative director at BBC Studios Natural History Unit, told the PA news agency that Sir David must have 'one of the greatest legacies of any human being ever.' Mr Gunton, who has worked with Sir David on documentaries including Attenborough And The Giant Dinosaur and Bafta-winning Planet Earth II, said: 'Each generation has its own kind of personal legacy from him, and I think that's remarkable'. King Charles meets David Attenborough as he attends the premiere of Ocean with David Attenborough at the Southbank Centre in London on May 6 (Alistair Grant/PA) 'But also, there's a broader, I suppose, global legacy, which I think is that he has shown us wonders, he's helped us understand wonders, and he's encouraged us to protect these wonders. 'If you could do that in a lifetime, and speak to hundreds upon hundreds of millions of people and inspire them to do all that, that's got to be one of the greatest legacies of any human being ever. 'And I think he's aware of that, and the responsibility of that, and he often talks about the privilege of being able to do that, and it's a privilege for those of us who have worked with him to have.' Mr Gunton began working with the broadcaster aged 29 and said it has been 'a life-defining experience' for him. He told PA: 'Every programme I have made with him has been a remarkable experience which the audience have always found completely memorable and worthwhile and that's a joy for anybody, to make things that are remembered, you know, they're historic, they're part of human history.' Sir David Attenborough in the press room with the Impact award at the National Television Awards in 2018 (Ian West/PA) Sir David was born David Frederick Attenborough on May 8 1926, in London, the son of an academic and principal of University College Leicester. Before joining the BBC in 1952, he studied geology at the University of Cambridge and served two years in the Royal Navy. He made his reputation with the ground-breaking Zoo Quest series, which he hosted for 10 years on the BBC. In 1965 he became controller of BBC2, overseeing the advent of colour TV, and he later became BBC director of programming. Ultimately, however, life as a broadcast executive did not appeal and he returned with relief to his early passions, programme-making and filming wildlife. Prince Charles and Princess Anne meet David Attenborough and Cocky, a cockatoo brought back from his last Zoo Quest expedition, at the BBC Television Studios (PA) His famous whispering voice captured the imaginations of the nation in 1979 when he was seen mingling and bonding with a family of gorillas in Life On Earth and its sequel, The Living Planet, in 1984. The following year, he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II before being awarded a Knight Grand Cross honour in 2022. The TV presenter has two children, Susan and Robert, with his late wife Jane, whom he married in 1950. In recent years, Sir David, who resides in Richmond, London, has presented shows including Dynasties, Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III. In celebration of his 99th birthday, his new documentary about the health of the ocean airs in cinemas from Thursday. Also to mark his birthday, John Murray Press is giving at least 1,000 copies of his new book, Ocean: Earth's Last Wilderness, to schools and libraries across the UK.
