Tag: environment

A quick(ish) reflection on 2020

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Well that was a year I didn’t see coming. I thought global pandemics were far-fetched works of fiction and cinema, not real, inescapable beasts that tether our ankles and incarcerate us in lonely little microcosms.

I’ve been luckier than many in that I’ve been living for the most part in a house of eight lovely people, I’ve been able to see my family and a few friends a handful of times (but not nearly as much as I’d like), and I’ve been working from home since it all kicked off in March. I’ve been unlucky in that I moved work from Reading to Bristol (same organisation, different office) in February, which meant renting a little cottage in Warminster for a grand total of three weeks before the pandemic started and I moved in with (ie. was adopted by) Ryan’s family in the New Forest.

I’ve done less “gadding around” than usual this year, although I’ve still managed a few escapes…

January: week-long trip to the Alps in January, which I’m extremely happy to have squeezed in before anyone had heard of covid. Skiing, snowboarding, winter hiking etc… amazing

February: overnight stay in the South Downs before a social trip to Butlins; a trip to London to see Touching the Void in theatre, followed by a few days in the Peak District

March: last pre-lockdown night in the van on the Dorset coast

April: nothing really, thanks lockdown (although I did spend a lot of time in and around the New Forest)

May: tried coarse fishing for the first time, went cycling and kayaking for my birthday, stayed local

June: took a week’s leave but couldn’t go far – couple of days’ bikepacking, walking and mountain boarding in the New Forest, slept in a cave on the Dorset coast

July: VAN TRIP! Great week hiking, climbing, mountain biking and canoeing in the Lake District

August: was supposed to camp in Snowdonia with the Hillbillies but weather said no so we camped in the New Forest and explored Avebury stone circle instead

September: Made it to my favourite place… Scotland! An amazing week in the van exploring the Highlands, Cairngorms and Edinburgh. Climbing, hiking, scrambling, mountain biking etc

October: Four days in Cornwall with the other Hillbilly children, exploring around the Lizard. Climbing in Dartmoor en route home

November: Lockdown #2 stifled my dreams, incarcerated once again. Managed a day’s climbing in Dorset with Angus and an overnight fishing trip

December: Lovely, much-needed van weekend away to Exmoor. Christmas was supposed to be on the Isle of Wight but last-minute-Boris said no

I’ve spent much of my “free” time running, walking, cycling, doing the odd bit of art and generally trying to a) be productive, and b) not go crazy. My blog has been neglected because the vast majority of my non-working laptop time has been spent working hard on an environmental project that I hope to launch fairly soon, but as always the intention to write about all of my adventures listed above remains. Hopefully soon.

I have some good news – I was worried that keeping my beloved campervan Bjorn would be financially unviable because of the rust underneath, but a lovely local garage has given me a reasonable welding quote and booked him in for the end of Jan. I have everything crossed for our future together. In other good news, unless I mess something up I’ll qualify as a lawyer in March, which is kind of scary. I still plan to use this to save the bees, trees and seas from meddling humans.

If anyone reads this (and I don’t mind if nobody does – I write to keep a personal record of what I’ve been up to, unless anyone decides to sponsor me, in which case I’m available for negotiations) then I hope you have a happy, healthy, more certain 2021. I can’t wait for more freedom and more adventures.

Endnote: I would find some photos of highlights from this year, but quite frankly there are too many and I can’t be bothered right now (classic lockdown). Here are a couple of pictures taken on Christmas/Boxing day, just so you can put a face to these ramblings:

Watching the World Burn: Science vs Politics

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I’m rarely one for politically charged blog posts but today I can’t resist.

A quick bit of (very basic) background info, feel free to skim over this:

[Carbon emissions cause global warming (thus climate change) by trapping heat from the Sun inside Earth’s atmosphere.

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, 195 countries set the objective of ensuring the increase in average global temperature does not exceed 2°C – ideally 1.5°C – above pre-industrial levels. Pre-industrial is not defined, but probably refers to the mid-18th to early-19th century.

Last week the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that we are likely to exceed the 1.5° limit within three to ten years, and we’re on track for a 3° increase by 2100. A 1.5° rise would cause devastating extreme weather events, habitat destruction, mass extinctions, food insecurity, poor crop yields, increased poverty levels, slow economic growth, unprecedented refugee crises, etc etc, which would be exponentially worse at 3°.]

That’s the science; now for the politics.

It’s pretty clear that immediate action must be taken to slash our carbon emissions, and even reverse the damage we’ve already caused by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere (which can be done).

Or I thought it was pretty clear. I’ve just watched Donald Trump claw, scrabble and grunt his way through an interview by denying that human activity has impacted on climate change. When challenged about the innumerable scientific reports detailing how we’re devastating the planet, he blamed the “political agenda” of scientists.

I could wear my fingers down to the knuckles writing about that man’s ignorance, incompetence and utter disillusionment. I’d love to know more about what would motivate almost every scientist worldwide to have the same political agenda, and how the correlation between industrialisation and unprecedented global warming is entirely coincidental. Unfortunately he doesn’t seem able to expand on those points.

No more about Trump, or my fingers might punch through the keyboard.

Today I read an article about how UK climate minister Claire Perry is refusing to advocate a lower-meat diet because she likes her steak and chips. Scientific evidence shows that the agricultural industry has an enormous (like really, shockingly big) carbon footprint, and that by reducing our demand for meat we can contribute massively to cutting emissions. (Watch Cowspiracy on Netflix for more info.)

I’ll reiterate – our climate minister – will not encourage people to change a small, inconsequential aspect of their lifestyle because it “is not the government’s job to advise on a climate-friendly diet”.

I mean, it’s not like issuing advice would be an easy and unintrusive way to educate people as to how they can better protect the planet. And as if it would also serve to reduce the number of health complications caused by diets high in saturated fat, thus the strain on the NHS… Ridiculous!

Hope you detected the sarcasm. There is no reason for the government to refuse to advise people to reduce meat consumption; it’s not like they’d be introducing quotas or bans. They seem perfectly happy prescribing advice, restrictions and taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and sugar – so if not the government’s job, whose is it?

I’ve used two examples but I’m certain there are many others, and I won’t keep you all day. The point is, it’s not just Trump; denial, blunt refusal to change, lack of accountability and willingness to turn a blind eye is rife everywhere, and I – along with the unsung heroes of our time, the powerless environment scientists – am tearing my hair out in frustration, despair and incredulity. Al Gore hit the nail on the head when he called his 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth – please, please, please watch it, I think it should be mandatory viewing for everyone.

We’re moving way too slowly. It’s time for politicians to open their ears, take their noses out of their purses and look up at the world, ideally before it’s burnt to a cinder.

The Rant of a Pained Consumer

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Today I went to Tesco. I hate shopping and avoid it wherever possible, but unfortunately I need to eat and don’t have time to spend all day hunter-gathering.

Having spent my adult life as a poor student, I’ve been in the habit of buying food based entirely on price. My shelves are over-familiar with the Value, Basics and Essentials ranges. However, now I’ve finished my studies I’d like to pay more attention to where my food comes from, how it is treated and how it is packaged. This decision comes from my growing interest in top athletes who swear by veganism, recent dabbling in yoga and self-awareness, and a lifelong passion for the environment (not to mention animal welfare). Never thought I’d become one of “those” people.

I aim to make a conscious effort to follow a healthier, more vegan-oriented diet by cutting back on processed foods and animal products, particularly dairy and red meat. I want to minimise my impact on the environment by choosing local and sustainably/ethically sourced produce where possible, being aware of the processes, by-products and emissions involved in food production and actively seeking products without plastic packaging.

Anyway, back to Tesco. I’ve been disgusted by the amount of plastic for a while, particularly in the fruit and veg section. Admittedly loose produce is available, but the irony is that everyone I saw picking up unpackaged apples, carrots and so on put them in the bags that Tesco so thoughtfully placed there for the very purpose of containing loose items. The plastic bags.

I’m also disgusted that loose fruit and veg is more expensive than the “Suntrail/Redmere Farms” (the tarted-up names for the value range) fruit and veg. Which is swathed in plastic. You’d think that loose produce would be cheaper – packaging costs money?! Unfathomable.

I had to go for packaged kale, spinach, kiwis and satsumas, but otherwise chose loose fruit and veg. I put it in the basket unbagged and *shock horror* suffered no catastrophic consequences. PLEASE don’t use these stupid little bags, and if you must use bags take your own paper or re-used ones.

Having internalised my fruit and veg rant, I made it through the rest of the shopping ordeal relatively unscathed. I chose glass roll-on deodorant rather than plastic (something I’d never thought about before), boxes of tea without unnecessary plastic wrapping, almond milk, sustainably sourced (reduced price) tuna and mackerel and no meat.

They’re baby steps but I think it’s about changing habits sustainably rather than suddenly. Eventually I want to abandon the supermarket and source food from greengrocers, butchers, bakers and so on. Organic, free range, fairtrade, sustainably sourced, humanely treated, unpackaged etc – you get the idea.

I just can’t believe that plastic packaging in particular is still so pervasive (in every aisle, not just fruit and veg) – surely everyone has seen David Attenborough (bless his divine heart and soul) lament the impact of plastics on marine life, or videos of seas choked with rubbish? Turning a blind eye is almost criminal. If the government want something else to tax, I hope for the sake of our environment and my sanity that they make it single-use plastics.  Biodegradable and recyclable packaging exists; as do local producers, humane farmers and sustainable fisheries. It’s time (and has been for years) for the monster corporations to take positive action and put the planet ahead of profits or be held culpable, otherwise there’ll be no planet left to profit from. Such action can be consumer-led if we make two things: 1) conscious choices, and 2) a hell of a fuss. As Che Guevara said, “revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall”. Enough fuss will get noticed, and getting noticed will facilitate change.

I have a lot to learn and I’d like to help others learn too, for the sake of health, welfare (individual, animal and farmer/producer) and the environment. I’d love to hear from anyone who has thoughts on what I’ve wittered on about today, or any related ethical/sustainable/health advice or experience.