What global warming is really about…
What does the future hold?
Did you know that the next week or two might decide your future? Your future, my future and your children’s future and what kind of planet we are to live on in the future.
If you have not noticed already from all the news reports and media coverage, the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen is up and running and with it has come accusations, arguments, counter claims and all that comes from people wound up into an issue that border all aspects of our society. The aim of the conference is to extend and in reality to create a new binding global agreement for each country to cut their carbon emissions to stop runaway global warming.
Public opinion
I am still amazed when I look at message boards and discussion groups across the internet or I gather opinion on the street about the issue of our changing climate, the science is clear yet as our society we refuse to accept the influence we have on the earth’s natural systems. The whole issue of global warming emanates from the greenhouse effect, which I am sure most of us were taught at school and a simple fact that is lost in the confusion and ramblings of the present day policy makers and scientists. The problem is that the message has been lost due to the fact that global warming affects everyone, it affects industry, sport, food production, healthcare, the list is endless, this means everyone has an agenda (mainly due to power and money) and with agendas the truth gets lost. It gets lost in people twisting the science to conform with their own views and policies and due to the fact that science is all about opinions, theories, evidence and a health portion of scepticism it is all too easy to do.
The science
The greenhouse effect is the simple, natural cycle of carbon dioxide being trapped in our atmosphere, acting as an insulator, trapping the sun’s heat as it reflects back off the earth’s surface. If it were not for carbon dioxide we would constantly be in an ice age. We need carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for life on this planet to survive, the problem by burning fossil fuels we are unlocking naturally stored carbon sinks from eons, sinks that the planet naturally dealt with. Hence we are now creating unnatural and never seen before levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and this is the most important part, the level are unnatural and beyond the earth’s normal climatic cycles. If you want to dig deeper this one simple man-made (anthropogenic) influence that we have is changing the structure of the atmosphere, the weather patterns, ocean cycles, wind currents, animal migrations and creating positive feedback loops we cannot control. I do need to ask some questions though, do you as a reader understand in enough detail how our planet’s natural climate cycles work? Do you know enough to make an informed decision? Have you ever read a scientific paper from a scientific journal?
The science is fundamentally so simple if you peel away the agendas, yet too few still accept this is happening and here is the reason why, it is because it means we have to change the way we live our lives and that we need to accept that fact that the way that we do live our lives is fundamentally and morally flawed. The human race is now too big for its boots.
I wish this want not true, I want to take plane flights without feeling guilty, eating food that has been shipped halfway across the planet because it tastes good and is easy to cook, I would like not to think about the environment and what we are really doing, unfortunately this cannot happen anymore, but it does not mean we will be poorer because of it.
The real issue
What global warming highlights is that we need to accept that we live within boundaries, that our planet is not an endless resource, that in fact the earth is alive and kicking and that we need to alter how as a species we see ourselves and our role within its ecosystems. Homosapiens are used to pushing boundaries, exploring frontiers, acting first and thinking later but this is now the time to stop and actually look at what we are doing. We can either continue the way we are going, creeping towards environmental collapse or we can change society bit by bit, a green revolution where we finally realise that living with the planet can be good for us.
The real issue, one that could redefine himanity is to admit that we were wrong, its as simple as that. History has taught us though that this one simple admission iis something we find very hard to accept and deal with. Can you accept that the way you live your life is wrong for the planet? Will you change your lifestyle because of this? Surely, accepting we were wrong and is a small price to pay for the planet’s continued survival?
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The planet, the future and how everyone has a role to play
As the UN Climate Conference gets underway next week in Copenhagen, which is seen by many leading scientists as our last chance to curb global warming and prevent ecological collapse it gets me thinking as to what we can all do.
I am sure that not a day goes by where in some shape or form we feel our hope fading as we are bombarded with doom and gloom stories about the earth and how we are facing ecological disaster. I hate to say this but they are not going to go away and even though the media can distort news stories, the underlying science and evidence is there to be seen. We have over fishing, habitat destruction, over population, global warming, I could go on but you get the picture. Believe me as a naturalist it is sometimes impossible not to get bogged down and a little disheartened by the rate at which we consume our planet for money and greed.
But what if we flip the coin and see the other side, how about we look at the potential of change? If you lived in the 1980’s and someone was to say global warming and environmentalism and say they became big political issues I am sure you would get laughed at and possibly be booked an appointment with a doctor! The fact is, we can change and we are starting to, we must not get bogged down by negativity as what does negativity ever achieve? It does nothing but create more negativity and uncertainty. Then nothing will be achieved and we will feel helpless at the oncoming onslaught of pessimism.
As a species we seem to look at nature too much and be with her too little, the natural world is too abstract, too much of a fashion statement, an item thrown away and recycled into another product or message when we feel it is convenient. We seem to forget that everything and I mean everything we have comes from this planet and its natural cycles and resources and when it is gone, it is gone. Where do you think new cosmetics come from? The components for our new ipod’s? Or, the fabrics in our newly bought clothes?
If we keep on consuming the planets resources at the rate we are currently doing then our 21st century way of life will implode faster than we can say HD TV, the warning signs are there. Now, I can hear you say ‘surely, though all the small changes I can make are insignificant to what is required and it is up to our politicians to do something?’ WRONG! It may be a cliché but every small change is worth its weight in gold and is a piece in the larger puzzle of bigger change. Not only will you be making a difference but I guarantee making small changes will alter the way you see the planet and how you feel about yourself. Simply, doing the right thing is a great way to make you feel good about yourself. Surely doing something is better than doing nothing?
So, go change those light bulbs, buy sustainable timber products, go food shopping and buy locally sourced produce, cycle or walk instead of driving, because I assure you that as well as saving money and doing the right thing your hidden connection with nature, that is located deep in all of us will be reawakened and so you will be as well. The planet needs you...
I am sure that not a day goes by where in some shape or form we feel our hope fading as we are bombarded with doom and gloom stories about the earth and how we are facing ecological disaster. I hate to say this but they are not going to go away and even though the media can distort news stories, the underlying science and evidence is there to be seen. We have over fishing, habitat destruction, over population, global warming, I could go on but you get the picture. Believe me as a naturalist it is sometimes impossible not to get bogged down and a little disheartened by the rate at which we consume our planet for money and greed.
But what if we flip the coin and see the other side, how about we look at the potential of change? If you lived in the 1980’s and someone was to say global warming and environmentalism and say they became big political issues I am sure you would get laughed at and possibly be booked an appointment with a doctor! The fact is, we can change and we are starting to, we must not get bogged down by negativity as what does negativity ever achieve? It does nothing but create more negativity and uncertainty. Then nothing will be achieved and we will feel helpless at the oncoming onslaught of pessimism.
As a species we seem to look at nature too much and be with her too little, the natural world is too abstract, too much of a fashion statement, an item thrown away and recycled into another product or message when we feel it is convenient. We seem to forget that everything and I mean everything we have comes from this planet and its natural cycles and resources and when it is gone, it is gone. Where do you think new cosmetics come from? The components for our new ipod’s? Or, the fabrics in our newly bought clothes?
If we keep on consuming the planets resources at the rate we are currently doing then our 21st century way of life will implode faster than we can say HD TV, the warning signs are there. Now, I can hear you say ‘surely, though all the small changes I can make are insignificant to what is required and it is up to our politicians to do something?’ WRONG! It may be a cliché but every small change is worth its weight in gold and is a piece in the larger puzzle of bigger change. Not only will you be making a difference but I guarantee making small changes will alter the way you see the planet and how you feel about yourself. Simply, doing the right thing is a great way to make you feel good about yourself. Surely doing something is better than doing nothing?
So, go change those light bulbs, buy sustainable timber products, go food shopping and buy locally sourced produce, cycle or walk instead of driving, because I assure you that as well as saving money and doing the right thing your hidden connection with nature, that is located deep in all of us will be reawakened and so you will be as well. The planet needs you...
Friday, October 2, 2009
A Line in the Sand...
A Line in the sand…
There comes a time when it is time to just say something, when you reach that point, the breaking point that so called ‘line in the sand’ and when it comes to the environment we are already there.
This weekend there is the opportunity for the people of Jersey to send a resounding no to development on our beautiful coastline, to let the guys in our government know that sacrificing the environment for development will not be tolerated. It does make me smile and also a little confused when the politicians advertise Jersey as a quiet, sunny, stunning holiday destination and yet seem quite content to build all the houses they can on the small channel island.
Doubters and critics will say ‘what is the point, no one will listen?’ or ‘they do not care anyway’ and ‘money always talks’ but if we just sit back and moan and do nothing then why are we alive? Why bother with anything? If the good people sit around and do nothing then they are no different than anybody else. Knowing what is right is nothing, doing what is right is everything, action matters. Surely doing something is always an improvement on doing nothing? It all boils down to whether the cause you believe in is worth the tears, the fight and the struggle. History has taught us that change can be made by a few and if you are dedicated enough and believe enough then in the end your efforts will not be in vain. Even if the politicians say no and ignore us then we learn our lessons, dust ourselves off and move on to the next battle, in the end it is just about doing the right thing. If you take out all the bullshit that comes with the environmental movement about taking sides, stopping prosperity, stopping the economy, holding society back, then all you will see is the essence of truth. That everything we take for granted and hold close to us is due to the planet we live on and all we are trying to do is preserve it for the future. Why is that so bad and ignored by so many?
It may seem like a small fight to stop development on a small piece of coastline but if the public cannot make a stand on a well developed, well educated island then how are we going to change anything else? All journeys start with small steps and the environmental movement is no different.
But, why the same battles over and over again? Why the same arguments? The same environmental destruction? In the end, we only conserve what we love, we will only love what we understand and understand only what we are taught.
The planet we live on is fragile, delicate, intricate, and beautiful and if the line in the sand is not drawn soon then environmental collapse will happen. Then many years from now our children and our children’s will ask us why we did not do anything? Why did you sit around while the planet that supports us was destroyed? Why do nothing when the science said we had to? If you can live with yourself by saying you could not be bothered or did not want to then you’re a stronger man than I am.
If not then please make yourself heard and come down to La Braye this weekend (details in the JEP) to take part in a movement that is all about doing the right thing.
There comes a time when it is time to just say something, when you reach that point, the breaking point that so called ‘line in the sand’ and when it comes to the environment we are already there.
This weekend there is the opportunity for the people of Jersey to send a resounding no to development on our beautiful coastline, to let the guys in our government know that sacrificing the environment for development will not be tolerated. It does make me smile and also a little confused when the politicians advertise Jersey as a quiet, sunny, stunning holiday destination and yet seem quite content to build all the houses they can on the small channel island.
Doubters and critics will say ‘what is the point, no one will listen?’ or ‘they do not care anyway’ and ‘money always talks’ but if we just sit back and moan and do nothing then why are we alive? Why bother with anything? If the good people sit around and do nothing then they are no different than anybody else. Knowing what is right is nothing, doing what is right is everything, action matters. Surely doing something is always an improvement on doing nothing? It all boils down to whether the cause you believe in is worth the tears, the fight and the struggle. History has taught us that change can be made by a few and if you are dedicated enough and believe enough then in the end your efforts will not be in vain. Even if the politicians say no and ignore us then we learn our lessons, dust ourselves off and move on to the next battle, in the end it is just about doing the right thing. If you take out all the bullshit that comes with the environmental movement about taking sides, stopping prosperity, stopping the economy, holding society back, then all you will see is the essence of truth. That everything we take for granted and hold close to us is due to the planet we live on and all we are trying to do is preserve it for the future. Why is that so bad and ignored by so many?
It may seem like a small fight to stop development on a small piece of coastline but if the public cannot make a stand on a well developed, well educated island then how are we going to change anything else? All journeys start with small steps and the environmental movement is no different.
But, why the same battles over and over again? Why the same arguments? The same environmental destruction? In the end, we only conserve what we love, we will only love what we understand and understand only what we are taught.
The planet we live on is fragile, delicate, intricate, and beautiful and if the line in the sand is not drawn soon then environmental collapse will happen. Then many years from now our children and our children’s will ask us why we did not do anything? Why did you sit around while the planet that supports us was destroyed? Why do nothing when the science said we had to? If you can live with yourself by saying you could not be bothered or did not want to then you’re a stronger man than I am.
If not then please make yourself heard and come down to La Braye this weekend (details in the JEP) to take part in a movement that is all about doing the right thing.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Truths and Challenges of Life
It is true to say that life is not easy and certainly does its best to surprise, haunt and challenge you, but I can honestly say that the last week or so has been one of the toughest I have ever had to endure. Yet as I come out of one of my greatest challenges I find myself looking at things in a different way and finally connecting back to Mother Nature, a connection that has become lost lately. (A small hint, if you want to know how I feel then buy a Sigur Ros album, go find somewhere quiet away from people and just listen, you will be inspired, believe me).
I shall start from the beginning and start by describing who I am. I am a budding and eager naturalist/conservationist/scientist, I am a person who believes in the Natural World, believes in the simplicity and complexity that it shows, believes in the morale’s and the goodness that it stands for. I feel connected to the Natural world and it completes who I am as a person. Whenever a bird bursts out a chorus of song or when the ocean decides to take its anger out on a bunch of rocks and you just stand there close your eyes and feel the anger and raw power, whatever it is, it just makes sense and can be understood. This feeling defines where I want to go in life and I truly believe that if I can focus this feeling and control it then I can change things.
This leads me to the past few weeks…
A month or so ago I took up a position as a researcher on the Kalahari Meerkat Project, which is a joint research project run by the University of Cambridge and the University of Zurich and aims to improve understanding of our knowledge of social co-operation and the evolution of social behaviour in mammals.
I decided to apply as a research volunteer for a number of reasons, some of them to do with my conservation career and also some personal, as lately I have felt that I have lost my way a bit and my unique connection with the Natural World was being sacrificed . (Putting the world’s problems on my shoulders, the feeling of not doing enough, the lack of a conservation job and girl troubles all contributed). I also wanted to be more independent, be my own man, learn more, meet new people and grow into who I wanted to be.
I arrived with high hopes and was once again pleased to be back in Africa (in 2008 I spent 5 great months in
So what to do? Do I return home and say goodbye, or do I stay in the Kalahari and get on with the work? I did the sensible thing and went home for 4 days. I needed to see my family, to grieve and to say goodbye and gain some peace on my fractured soul. These 4 days at home in
To then travel again from Jersey to
Now I write this after sleeping for 13 hours! During my first full day back in the Kalahari, and how do I feel?
Well I am still not quite myself but I am better, less at turmoil. I see where I am going now and what I want to do and how being here fits into my dreams. I have returned with a greater determination to live my life to the full and to not be beaten down with how as a species we are destroying this magical planet. There is a reason why I put the world’s problems on my shoulders and that is because I honestly feel I can help solve them, to be the inspiration to move our society from the laws and pure greed of consumerism, to find a new inner wealth rather than a material one. The truth is that you should live your dreams, not just dream your life away, anyone can achieve anything as long as they believe in themselves and what they stand for (something I have found hard to do). There is always hope…
One of my good friends called me different the other day and I suppose I am, different in that I have found my passion, my calling and I will use the great memories of my Nan and the pure essence of nature to drive me forward. I will do my best not to be distracted, just watch this space…
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Last Stand of the Orang-utan: Palm Oil and the forests of Indonesia
What i am about to explain in this post is too put it bluntly an environmental catastrophe that we are all responsible for (including me) and one that is thousands of miles away but will eventually come back to haunt all of us. The consequence of our fast, consumer driven lives, the consequences of fast food and the need for cheap ingredients to go in these foods.
But, what is it you ask? Animal slaughter? the destruction of the oceans? The Iraq war? Nope, none of those, in the end it all comes down to a substance called Palm Oil and the utter annihilation of the Indonesian rainforests leading to the extinction of the Orang-utan, because believe you me if this is not stopped Orang-utans will be gone in less than 10 years. We are currently losing around 1,000 of these majestic apes each year and around 6 football pitches a minute of rainforest (conservative estimate). In Sumatra there are fewer than 7,300 surviving orang-utan, scattered between 13 forest patches. In Borneo, the population is estimated to stand at around 50,000 individuals, divided with forest fragmentation, particularly from oil-palm plantations, having separated the Bornean orang-utan habitat into 306 forest patches.
So, what is Palm Oil? and why is it so bad?
Palm Oil is a cheap vegetable oil that can be found in 1 in 10 of all supermarket products, it is an oil harvested from the Palm tree, a tree not native to Indonesia and the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Palm Oil is consumerd by over one billion people across the globe and can be found in products ranging from cosmetics to chocolate and for me sums up how our relationship with the planet is so very wrong. The Orang-utans are not just displaced from losing their habitat, they are killed because they are seen as pests. They also caught and sold into the illegal pet trade. Orang-utans have been drowned, burned alive, buried alive and attacked with swords.
Basically, we are tearing down the species rich rainforests of Indonesia so we can have cheap oil in our food to supply our hectic consumer driven lifestyles, you tell me what is right with that? It is wrong to the core on a vast amount of levels and brings a tear to my eye, everytime i think about it. We will eventually lose the Orang-utan just so we can have oil for our food, the next generation really will be ashamed of us.
But what can we actually do to stop this? The problem is, alot of the poorest people now depend on the income of the palm oil industry, so boycotting items does come with its problems, but as consumers we do have the power.
These are the actions that we can take:
1). We can first of all lobby the government to make the labelling of palm oil compulsory on every product it is in, because at the moment it is mostly labelled as 'vegetable oil'. (http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17322).
2). Secondly we can buy wood that is Forest Stewardship Council certified (the logo is a green tree with a tick), which means it has come from sustainable sources.
3). Thirdly we can boycott the worst palm oil companies and spread the word of the plight of the Orang-utan. (These include Nestle, KFC and Unilever).
It is not just one animal that we are losing but a whole ecosystem that has evolved through thousands of years and contains many thousands of species still unknown to science. What you must ask yourself is can you live with the extinction of one of our closest relatives on your conscience? I know i cannot...
Nature as a way of life...
Further reading:
- http://redapes.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/bospalm_oil_report.pdf (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation)
- http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/oil_for_ape_full.pdf (Friends of the Earth)
- http://www.unep.org/publications/search/pub_details_s.asp?ID=3920 (United Nations Environment Programme)
But, what is it you ask? Animal slaughter? the destruction of the oceans? The Iraq war? Nope, none of those, in the end it all comes down to a substance called Palm Oil and the utter annihilation of the Indonesian rainforests leading to the extinction of the Orang-utan, because believe you me if this is not stopped Orang-utans will be gone in less than 10 years. We are currently losing around 1,000 of these majestic apes each year and around 6 football pitches a minute of rainforest (conservative estimate). In Sumatra there are fewer than 7,300 surviving orang-utan, scattered between 13 forest patches. In Borneo, the population is estimated to stand at around 50,000 individuals, divided with forest fragmentation, particularly from oil-palm plantations, having separated the Bornean orang-utan habitat into 306 forest patches.
So, what is Palm Oil? and why is it so bad?
Palm Oil is a cheap vegetable oil that can be found in 1 in 10 of all supermarket products, it is an oil harvested from the Palm tree, a tree not native to Indonesia and the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Palm Oil is consumerd by over one billion people across the globe and can be found in products ranging from cosmetics to chocolate and for me sums up how our relationship with the planet is so very wrong. The Orang-utans are not just displaced from losing their habitat, they are killed because they are seen as pests. They also caught and sold into the illegal pet trade. Orang-utans have been drowned, burned alive, buried alive and attacked with swords.
Basically, we are tearing down the species rich rainforests of Indonesia so we can have cheap oil in our food to supply our hectic consumer driven lifestyles, you tell me what is right with that? It is wrong to the core on a vast amount of levels and brings a tear to my eye, everytime i think about it. We will eventually lose the Orang-utan just so we can have oil for our food, the next generation really will be ashamed of us.
But what can we actually do to stop this? The problem is, alot of the poorest people now depend on the income of the palm oil industry, so boycotting items does come with its problems, but as consumers we do have the power.
These are the actions that we can take:
1). We can first of all lobby the government to make the labelling of palm oil compulsory on every product it is in, because at the moment it is mostly labelled as 'vegetable oil'. (http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17322).
2). Secondly we can buy wood that is Forest Stewardship Council certified (the logo is a green tree with a tick), which means it has come from sustainable sources.
3). Thirdly we can boycott the worst palm oil companies and spread the word of the plight of the Orang-utan. (These include Nestle, KFC and Unilever).
It is not just one animal that we are losing but a whole ecosystem that has evolved through thousands of years and contains many thousands of species still unknown to science. What you must ask yourself is can you live with the extinction of one of our closest relatives on your conscience? I know i cannot...
Nature as a way of life...
Further reading:
- http://redapes.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/bospalm_oil_report.pdf (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation)
- http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/oil_for_ape_full.pdf (Friends of the Earth)
- http://www.unep.org/publications/search/pub_details_s.asp?ID=3920 (United Nations Environment Programme)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The States of Jersey: Friend or Foe?
I am not usually one to talk about politics or the States of Jersey but some things are just too important too leave alone so here we go...
As my local government the States of Jersey are currently debating their 'Strategic Plan', which is basically their document of policies and objectives for the years ahead i think i might as well say what i really think.
Alot of their decisions lately have really put my temperature up to boiling point, including the decision to build a new incinerator. But the one decision that has pushed me over the edge is the one concerning the control of the population.
Now Jersey is an island in the english channel, around 12 miles or so off the coast of France. The island is 9 miles long and 5 miles wide (roughly), so any guess on the population? Well, it currently stands at 91,800 (789 per Kilometre squared) and yes i did just say 91,800, a truely ridiculous figure and one that is going to keep on increasing.
The government has just agreed (34 to 16 votes) to keep on increasing the population by 325 people per year (around 125 households) until it is just below 100,00 by the year 2035, crazy right? It still makes me really angry, whenever i think about it.
The problem i have with this is that as with everything the Jersey government decides it is all down to money and economic growth and progress, but what is the point, if the island is just going to be destroyed whilst doing this? They use Jersey's natural environment as a fashion statement whenever they use and they truley do not understand the consequences of putting too much pressure on Jersey's natural environment. Is money really more important then keeping Jersey's identity? It is a quesiton that can be asked for all of our government's, because there needs to be a point in time where we say 'No' otherwise we are looking at environmental collapse.
Jersey is a stunning island with clean white beaches, sheering cliffs full of sea birds, beautifull tranquill countryside, stunning valleys and hillsides full of songbirds. We have
Dolphins, Puffins, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Green Lizard's, Heron's, the list is endless but none of it seems to mean anything to our government, the only thing that means something to them is money. It first of all makes me angry but also very sad, sad that they cannot remove their tinted glasses and see how already over populated Jersey already is.
I am leaving the island in 3 weeks for a year to be a researcher on the Kalahari Meerkat Project and i must admit i am quite scared as to what Jersey will be like when i get back.
At the moment the States of Jersey are planning and executing their own downfall, a foe indeed...
As my local government the States of Jersey are currently debating their 'Strategic Plan', which is basically their document of policies and objectives for the years ahead i think i might as well say what i really think.
Alot of their decisions lately have really put my temperature up to boiling point, including the decision to build a new incinerator. But the one decision that has pushed me over the edge is the one concerning the control of the population.
Now Jersey is an island in the english channel, around 12 miles or so off the coast of France. The island is 9 miles long and 5 miles wide (roughly), so any guess on the population? Well, it currently stands at 91,800 (789 per Kilometre squared) and yes i did just say 91,800, a truely ridiculous figure and one that is going to keep on increasing.
The government has just agreed (34 to 16 votes) to keep on increasing the population by 325 people per year (around 125 households) until it is just below 100,00 by the year 2035, crazy right? It still makes me really angry, whenever i think about it.
The problem i have with this is that as with everything the Jersey government decides it is all down to money and economic growth and progress, but what is the point, if the island is just going to be destroyed whilst doing this? They use Jersey's natural environment as a fashion statement whenever they use and they truley do not understand the consequences of putting too much pressure on Jersey's natural environment. Is money really more important then keeping Jersey's identity? It is a quesiton that can be asked for all of our government's, because there needs to be a point in time where we say 'No' otherwise we are looking at environmental collapse.
Jersey is a stunning island with clean white beaches, sheering cliffs full of sea birds, beautifull tranquill countryside, stunning valleys and hillsides full of songbirds. We have
Dolphins, Puffins, Marsh Harriers, Kestrels, Green Lizard's, Heron's, the list is endless but none of it seems to mean anything to our government, the only thing that means something to them is money. It first of all makes me angry but also very sad, sad that they cannot remove their tinted glasses and see how already over populated Jersey already is.
I am leaving the island in 3 weeks for a year to be a researcher on the Kalahari Meerkat Project and i must admit i am quite scared as to what Jersey will be like when i get back.
At the moment the States of Jersey are planning and executing their own downfall, a foe indeed...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
The best speech ever?
You know i was going to write a piece on the palm oil industry and the destruction of the Indonesian Rainforests as it has been in the written press a number of times in the past few weeks. It is an issue that really is close to my heart, one that defines to me everything that is wrong with our relationship with our planet.
However, i was then sent this speech in an email and i thought i had to share it with the world, a superb speech, one that could be a starting point for defining a generation. A piece of literature that all conservationists should read if they are to stay positive and on track in these uncertain times.
Here is the link:
http://www.up.edu/commencement/default.aspx?cid=9456&pid=3144
Brilliant stuff...
However, i was then sent this speech in an email and i thought i had to share it with the world, a superb speech, one that could be a starting point for defining a generation. A piece of literature that all conservationists should read if they are to stay positive and on track in these uncertain times.
Here is the link:
http://www.up.edu/commencement/default.aspx?cid=9456&pid=3144
Brilliant stuff...
Friday, May 29, 2009
A Promise
You know i have been wandering what to do for my first real blog post for a while now, there are many endless lines of conversation ranging from the extinction of species to how our society is suffering from 'Nature deficit disorder'. Do i talk about the con that is bottled water? the environmental catastrophe that is palm oil and the Orangutan? Plastic waste and is legacy? The chemicals in cosmetics? Global warming and the changing climate?
The trouble is i really do not want to be tooo negative, as if you are reading this blog you might just switch off, i mean everywhere we look there is doom and gloom about the future of the planet. However, most of this doom and gloom is justified, it is just a bit too much sometimes, especially when the scientific evidence and message gets lost in the media.
So we will start with a promise, a promise from me to you. I make a promise to you the reader of my blog that firstly i will be honest and bring to the forefront the main conservation issues of today, issues that effect how we live our lives, and how we will live our lives in the future. Secondly is that i will give you the positive and the negative, which will also do me alot of good as i must admit i do get dragged down sometimes by the destruction of this beautiful planet.
Nature as a way of life...
The trouble is i really do not want to be tooo negative, as if you are reading this blog you might just switch off, i mean everywhere we look there is doom and gloom about the future of the planet. However, most of this doom and gloom is justified, it is just a bit too much sometimes, especially when the scientific evidence and message gets lost in the media.
So we will start with a promise, a promise from me to you. I make a promise to you the reader of my blog that firstly i will be honest and bring to the forefront the main conservation issues of today, issues that effect how we live our lives, and how we will live our lives in the future. Secondly is that i will give you the positive and the negative, which will also do me alot of good as i must admit i do get dragged down sometimes by the destruction of this beautiful planet.
Nature as a way of life...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Hello!
Hello all,
This blogging thing is new to me so bare with me as i get used to it.
I am wildlife conservationist just starting in his career so expect many blogs on environmental issues and conservation.
I am not here to tell you what to do, i am just here to say how i see it, which i hope is just the truth. Everyone has their opinion but as i develop and further my career i will hopefully keep this blog up to date, consider it more of a Journal of a Conservationist.
Nature is a way of life for me :-)
I also love doing sport, reading and just enjoying the great outdoors.
Stephen
This blogging thing is new to me so bare with me as i get used to it.
I am wildlife conservationist just starting in his career so expect many blogs on environmental issues and conservation.
I am not here to tell you what to do, i am just here to say how i see it, which i hope is just the truth. Everyone has their opinion but as i develop and further my career i will hopefully keep this blog up to date, consider it more of a Journal of a Conservationist.
Nature is a way of life for me :-)
I also love doing sport, reading and just enjoying the great outdoors.
Stephen
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