The finale of 'Blue Planet II' carried a message that should be heard by all

In Blue Planet II we have already seen many examples of the effect humanity has had on the world's oceans, but the finale laid out in plain terms just how much we have changed the seas -- and how reversible the changes may be.

There's no doubt that Sunday's episode of Blue Planet II (entitled "Our Blue Planet") left many with profound feelings of species guilt.

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It is true that much of the show exposed the extent to which human waste endangers marine life -- like the baby dolphin likely poison by the prevalence of microplastics, or the baby albatross killed by a tiny plastic toothpick.

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But to think that the programme was, like David Attenborough, looming over us in the style of a Dickensian headteacher, booming "look what you have wrought!" is of course an exaggeration. The episode's enduring message was that the more we know, the more we are capable of change.

It demonstrated how much we have already managed to accomplish. Sperm whales, for example, have had a huge resurgence since the decline in commercial whaling.

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We also saw how just one man pioneered a conservation programme in Trinidad that helped increase Leatherback turtle numbers immensely.

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David Attenborough has phenomenal sway over the British cultural consciousness, and so when he delivers a message as powerful as that of Blue Planet II, it has an impact like no other public figure.

"Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that," said Attenborough in the final episode. "Surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet."

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Sadly we cannot make David Attenborough King of All, partly because of that whole democracy gaffe (boo) and partly because he would simply never accept.

But we can listen to the message that he and the Blue Planet II team impart so magnificently -- not of despair, but of galvanisation.