Today, Sir David Attenborough turns 99. For nearly eight decades, he has been the unmistakable voice and champion of nature, revealing its most breathtaking wonders and conveying its most urgent cries for help.

Marking this milestone, Attenborough delivers what he considers to be his most pressing message yet — a message Greece would do well to heed:

“After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.”

This powerful statement forms the core of his latest documentary, ‘Ocean,’ which premiered this week and is now being screened globally. The film offers a sobering examination of the state of the world’s oceans, tempered with a powerful message of hope — that recovery is possible, but only if we act now. He goes on to add:

“If we just let nature take its course, the sea will save itself.” And, “if we save the sea, we save our world.” 

‘Ocean’ speaks directly to Greece, a country Attenborough first highlighted in his 1987 documentary series ‘The First Eden,’ where he chronicled Greece’s rich biodiversity and fragile beauty — and a country whose response to Attenborough’s newest message may very well determine the fate of its marine ecosystems.

With over 3,000 islands and a maritime border stretching nearly 13,676 km — one of the longest in the world — Greece’s identity, economy, and way of life are deeply intertwined with the sea. Yet despite this profound connection, awareness of how marine ecosystems function — known as ocean literacy — remains limited.

Additionally, while polls indicate that Greeks are concerned about how climate change will impact their lives and consider it to be one of the greatest threats to the country, increased geopolitical instability and the cost-of-living crisis in the country push transformative change to sustainable and circular economic models to the backburner.

Credit: Marine Mammal Commission

One of the most notable “environment vs economy” conflicts threatening Greece’s marine environment is the prioritization of LNG and other fossil fuel exploration projects— actions environmental watchdogs warn contradict EU directives and threaten marine biodiversity.

Meanwhile, Greece’s thriving shipping and transport sectors, vital to its economy, continue to contribute significantly to marine pollution and habitat degradation. Plans to deregulate mining this summer could further imperil coastal and marine ecosystems.

However, there are glimmers of hope- at least in word and on paper- which now need to be tranformed to concrete action by the Greek government.

Today, May 8, the Greek Parliament ratified the International Treaty on the High Seas, which aims to protect international waters, covering approximately half of the planet’s surface.

Last month and after years of delays and EU pressure, Greece finally submitted its maritime spatial plans. The plans aim to sustainably organize activities in the country’s coastal zone- like fishing, aquaculture, renewable energy projects and marine transport- in an effort to ensure good environmental status of Greece’s seas.

Morever, during the ‘Our Ocean’ conference held in Athens in 2024, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to ban bottom trawling in national marine parks and to expand marine protected areas (MPAs) to cover 30% of Greek waters by 2030.

Caretta caretta
Loggerhead turtle
swimming at bottom of open sea.
Langana Bay, Zákinthos, Greece

Greek non-profits have also reported some small yet encouraging signs that conservation measures work. Greece’s beloved loggerhead turtles, known as Caretta Caretta, are making a come-back. Meanwhile, in Amorgos, fishermen have taken conservation into their own hands, self-regulating no-catch zones to preserve fish stocks. These small yet significant efforts embody the spirit of one of Attenborough’s key messages- that meaningful change can start with a single act of protection and within a single community.

For decades, Attenborough has reminded us that the planet is our shared home and that our fate is tied to nature’s health. As he turns 99, his message is more urgent than ever- act now to protect our oceans-  in Greece and beyond. He also reminds us that, sometimes, the most powerful action we can take is to step back and give nature the space it needs to heal itself.

Happy 99th birthday, Sir David Attenborough. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to promoting the protection of our planet.

*Cheryl Novak is Deputy Chief Editor at To Vima International Edition and Research Associate at ELIAMEP