David Attenborough's 'The Year Earth Changed' shows the silver lining to a year of pandemic

Awe-inspiring visuals of nature and deserted cities make for an evocative documentary

A scene from ‘The Year the Earth Changed’. Apple TV+

When Covid-19 ensconced the world and forced countries to quarantine a little more than a year ago, scientists and environmentalists saw it as a chance to show how much damage mankind has done to the planet over the past few decades.

It only took a few days to start seeing results, too. The air quality in Los Angeles improved dramatically, the amount of toxic gases in China decreased, while smog and air pollution in certain parts of India disappeared to such an extent that the Himalayas could be seen from certain spots for the first time in generations. More than that, though, the absence of humans gave animals the chance to thrive again. A new documentary on Apple TV, The Year Earth Changed, provides a fascinating look at this environmental effect.

The film does not break the mould with its approach. Nor should it have tried, as it has a running time of only 48 minutes. But that's more than enough for it to provide a worldwide look at one of the few positive effects of Covid-19.

Awe-inspiring visuals of nature and wildlife, this time accompanied by drone shots of deserted city centres, are mixed with rousing music. The Year Earth Changed also benefits hugely from Sir David Attenborough's exquisite narration.

As we've all come to expect, Attenborough's voice is the perfect mixture of warm and stirring. Not only does it build an instant connection between the audience and each animal, but he's also able to specifically break down how they've been affected in a knowledgeable but colloquial fashion.

The lives of animals have not only been enhanced for a couple of months because of our enforced sabbatical, previously endangered species have been able to increase their numbers in droves.

These astonishing alterations are so riveting that you can't help but be hooked throughout. We see how there has been a huge rise of turtles in Florida, thanks to the closure of beaches, whales in Alaska are communicating clearer and birds in San Francisco have been singing new, more alluring notes during mating season, thanks to the lack of traffic and noise pollution.

In Africa, adult cheetahs, unbothered by tourism and safaris, can discreetly feed their cubs the prey they caught, instead of having to worry about other predators attacking them. Leopards have even started to hunt during the day, when they had previously been nocturnal animals of prey.

A particularly remarkable sequence shows adult deer in Nara, Japan, that for years had relied on tourists to feed them, trekking for miles through the city to a patch of grass where they previously grazed, which is now surrounded by apartment complexes. After each evocative and powerful vignette, you’ll be left astounded by the perseverance and intelligence of these animals, as well as heartbroken by how much we’ve disrupted their way of life.

The Year Earth Changed showcases why the world needs to ensure the clearer air, cleaner water and freedom that has allowed them to flourish in a manner that hasn't happened for decades can be built upon. This opportunity was far from planned, but it has shown how we can and how we must improve our relationship with nature.

As Attenborough rightfully points out, the animals are just taking back what was theirs. It's time we paid attention and allowed them to do so. Because, if we don't do it now, when will we?

The Year Earth Changed is on Apple TV+