"We keep putting on programmes about famine in Ethiopia; that's what's happening. Too many people there. They can't support themselves - and it's not an inhuman thing to say. It's the case.
"Until humanity manages to sort itself out and get a co-ordinated view about the planet it's going to get worse and worse," he told Radio Times.
Attenborough's latest series Natural Curiosities is set to hit screens in the UK this week, while Africa, which he hosts, is currently screening in New Zealand.