Chris Packham on saving the planet: ‘Is going to prison the right thing to do?’
The environmentalist said he is ‘hundreds of thousands’ of pounds out of pocket despite winning a High Court libel case.
TV naturalist Chris Packham has discussed being at a career crossroads as he considers the best options and use of his time to save the planet.
The wildlife broadcaster and environmentalist, 62, who fronts a new Channel 4 documentary titled Is It Time to Break the Law?, told the Guardian that he remains unsure of the answer amid the threat of climate change.
“I would lose my voice immediately if I went to prison,” he said, recognising a criminal record would bring his high-profile BBC career and powerful platform to an end.
He continued: “I would also lose part of my mind, if not all of it, because that environment is not suitable for someone like myself.
“I’ve always been terrified of prisons. So is going to prison the right thing to do?
“There are people who would argue that that would be a big step, it would send a message, the whole Mandela thing.
“I’m not comparing myself to Mandela, but you know what I mean. Symbolically those sorts of things can be very powerful.
“But is that the best use of Chris Packham, or is it coming up with other imaginative ways of keeping the message in the public domain?”
But he also did not rule out the possibility, saying: “I’m not saying it might not happen at some point.”
The BBC Springwatch presenter, who made a rallying call for “every last person who cares” about the planet to join Extinction Rebellion in April, said he needs to be “more active” in his efforts to save the planet.
He said: “I’m 62 years old, I’m running out of time, I’ve got to try to alleviate some of the grotesque guilt I carry for our generation not having done the work early enough.
“I can’t help but feel a degree of personal responsibility.”
Packham also spoke about being awarded £90,000 in damages after winning his High Court libel claim over denied allegations he misled the public into donating to a wildlife charity, saying he is “hundreds of thousands” of pounds out of pocket.
He said: “I got nothing. The people involved declared themselves bankrupt the following morning.
“I’ve had to pay myself for the law to be upheld because I had to take a civil rather than criminal case.
“But justice has not been served. I’ve still got to pay my lawyer’s fees. That doesn’t strike me as fair.”
