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'Disputable' climate change comment removed from David Attenborough's Africa

 

Matilda Battersby
Monday 11 February 2013 16:35 GMT
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<p>Sir David Attenborough meets a three month old blind black rhino at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. </p>

Sir David Attenborough meets a three month old blind black rhino at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya.

The BBC has re-edited the final episode of Sir David Attenborough's nature series Africa over a "disputable" comment regarding climate change.

In the original programme broadcast last Wednesday Sir Attenborough remarked that "some parts of the continent have become 3.5 Celsius hotter in the past 20 years".

This comment was removed from the repeat programme and the iPlayer version.

A BBC statement released today said: "There is widespread acknowledgement within the scientific community that the climate of Africa has been changing."

"We accept the detail is disputable and the commentary should have reflected that, therefore the line of commentary has been edited out."

The decision to remove the comment was made on Saturday after the BBC was contacted by a national newspaper.

Two years ago the BBC faced criticism from viewers over Sir Attenborough's Frozen Planet series.

Footage of newborn polar cubs filmed in captivity in a Dutch animal park led viewers to believe they had been filmed in the wild in the Arctic.

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