February - The end of the world is nigh??!!
This month our newest volunteer Susie, has written a strong and thought provoking article. Whilst it may not be fluffy and feel good it is essentail that we re-sensitize ourselves to our impact on the beautiful world in which we live!
Previous articles can be found on this link.
Are we to believe the Mayan prophesies? If so make the most of this last precious year as the ancient Mayan calendar ends on December 21st 2012 after 5,125 years... Or, is the end of the world coming as we sink into an overwhelming abyss of natural disasters and climate change doom?
As we experienced an incredibly warm January in Devon this year I had plenty of bizarre and unseasonal reminders of our changing fragile world - picking roses from the garden, watching unusually active bird life, eating spinach and salad leaves from the veg patch all year round. Whilst at West Town Farm in Devon last week we were watching bees busy around their hive as though on a summer’s day.
All these incidents could be seen as quirky little ‘treats’ of climate change but we are all aware by now of the real and massive disastrous effects of this global warming.
Worldwide scientific consensus tells us that human activities (mainly burning fossil fuels and large scale deforestation) have led to large increases in the concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous-oxide and other heat trapping gases, collectively known as greenhouse gases. As a result of the growing abundance of these gases the global average air temperature has risen steadily over several decades. The first decade of the 21st century has proven to be the hottest since scientists began recording global temperatures in the 1880s. No geographic region is immune. The unmistakable signs of a rapidly changing climate are everywhere - melting glaciers, heat waves, rising seas, migratory birds delaying their flights south, and flowers blooming earlier.
Extreme weather events are becoming more common. The impacts of climate change are already responsible for killing an estimated 315,000 people every year (http://www.eird.org/publicaciones/humanimpactreport.pdf) and damaging ecosystems.
And this is just the beginning - the science predicts that anything more than 2°C rise in global temperatures puts us on the road to potentially catastrophic problems. There will be more flooding, more droughts, more disease, more famine and more war, creating hundreds of millions of refugees and causing the destruction of entire ecosystems and species.
We need urgent action to make sure that doesn’t happen!
Sorry, already feel so glum you need a break?! It is utterly depressing stuff and that’s just the tip of the errr melting iceberg so to speak. So many of us have been aware of the doom of climate change for so long that we are almost becoming de-sensitized to the subject. Even writing these facts down for this ‘thought’ of the month is making me feel all stirred up about it again and like pulling my head out the sand / duvet to listen....
Of course there’s more than just massive human impact, the dire consequences for our worldwide wildlife have already begun.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 4th assessment report estimates that approximately 20-30 percent of the world’s plant and animal species assessed as of 2006 are likely to be at increasingly high risk of extinction as global mean temperatures exceed a warming of 2 – 3°C above preindustrial levels. Global average temperature increases of 0.74°C are already documented, and temperature increases in some areas are projected to exceed 3.0°C over the next decade. (http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_and_data_reports.shtml)
Less snow in winter, warmer temperatures in summer and more winter rain will affect wildlife across the board. Sea level rises reduce land area in some countries, which will instantly affect vegetation which is currently used for homes and foods by animals. Species have, of course, adapted to changes to their climates before (such as during the Ice Age), but it is believed they need a longer period of time to adapt to change than humans.
Even before the public at large became hip to global warming, many birds already moved up the start of their annual migrations by as much as three weeks in response to rising temperatures. Some other wildlife began behaving differently – and some perished. Tens of thousands of Adelie penguins have died in the Antarctic, apparently because ice no longer extends far enough into the sea for them to reach their breeding grounds. The polar bear – the poster babe of climate change – relies on Arctic ice to hunt seals. But a record loss of ice is forcing bears to spend more time on land or drown at sea.
It's amazing how a relatively small rise in temperature can alter an animal's life. Sea turtles are affected throughout their lives by climate change: their sex is determined by the temperature of the sand in which eggs incubate (cooler sand produces males, too-hot sand produces females only); and some rely on coral reefs, which themselves are already succumbing to climate change. Then there's the issue of nesting beaches for turtles. They're increasingly disappearing beneath rising seas.
Ok, so that’s enough scary wake up and smell the disaster facts for the month.... My intention is really not for us to sink into doom and gloom and take to our beds but to face the facts and realise that we can, and will, make a change for the better.
There are some incredible and inspiring organisations (WildAid for one!) and individuals out there working towards solutions. The key is to get involved. To believe that each one of us, in our small way can make a difference and to realise that we are all linked by these issues. Whether a bird lover, a keen naturalist, an animal carer, a farmer, or a school child we are connected by these problems so we cannot fail but to look for solutions.
WildAid aims to bring an understanding and respect for nature, and in particular British Wildlife, by enabling people to find their connection to it and so inspire a love of our natural world. With this awareness and genuine love of nature we aspire to living a less selfish and damaging lifestyle.
Climate change is happening, but we’re not doomed. We can’t stop it but we could slow it down and prepare for its effects. It’s going to be a big job and will mean changing almost everything about the way we live - how we light and heat our homes, our transport, how we design our buildings, how we grow our food and how people and countries work together. The good news is there are lots of great people out there already working on positive change. Who knows, if we all join in we might just save the planet.
Inspiring Reading:
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/about-climate-change
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/
http://www.treesisters.org/
Heat by George Monbiot
The Revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock
Funny Weather: Everything you didn’t want to know about Climate Change but probably should find out by Kate Evans
Gaia Warriors by Nicola Davies
“ We must be the change we want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi