Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
9th September 2024
As a follow up to the comments about travel and the environment (days 156-160) here is an interesting article from the Guardian on the same topic: https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/sep/06/flight-shame-climate-impact-tourism-boom-covid-environment-net-zero?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
9th September 2024
A rich biodiverse habitat is a habitat that is regulated by both competition and opportunism. The balance is not always even in the short term but longer term imbalances level out.
This year’s wet weather has seen an explosion of slugs that has not been fully balanced by an increase in beings that prey on slugs. Although conversely the wet weather may have produced excess amounts of plant growth on which the slugs have been feeding!
It is not just gardeners but farmers too who find their hard work devastated by hungry slugs – but research is in hand to find ways of creating a better balance between slugs and plant growers – for more information or to help – https://bofin.org.uk/2024/08/29/slimy-invaders/
6th September 2024
Biodiversity is also an important component of our relationship with God. The following comes from the Centre for Action and Contemplation, and invites us to look again at nature.
“It might’ve been being at the beach and seeing a flock of seagulls in flight that suddenly made you aware of beauty in a way you’d never felt it before, or it may have been the first dog that you really knew, loved, and connected with. It helped you think of intelligence that was different than your own, and beautiful in its own unique way. It might’ve been some other scene where you felt sacredness, and holiness, and depth in the natural world. It’s easy for us … to forget that childlike wonder at this beautiful world. We don’t need to put God and nature in competition. Nature is God’s original self-expression”.
5th September 2024
The campaign group Zero Hour UK is promoting the Climate and Nature Bill (the CAN Bill) as a means of creating legislation that will comprehensively address both the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. It is a private member’s bill which has cross party backing of some 170 MPs and currently its proposers are hoping that it will win time for debate in the private members bill ballot.
For more information, including how to support the Bill, visit https://www.zerohour.uk/climate-and-nature-bill/
4th September 2024
A biodiverse rich ecosystem is a more stable ecosystem, and that stability benefits all the component parts. A biodiverse rich environment will thus support a better life for humans as well as other creatures, plants and life forms. Such an environment will be healthier for humans – including cleaner air and water – and will ensure a richer, more reliable food supply.
3rd September 2024
The State of Nature report 2023 states: “The UK, like most other countries worldwide, has seen significant loss of its plants, animals and fungi. The data from State of Nature cover, at most, 50 years but this follows on from centuries of habitat loss, development and persecution. As a result, the UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.”(1) This includes a 54% loss in the distribution of flowering plants, meaning more than half of the land is less rich in biodiversity.
Yet a rich biodiverse environment is better able to cope with and tackle the causes of climate change. (2)
(2) https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/biodiversity
2nd September 2024
There are 50 days remaining until this year’s biodiversity COP. Biodiversity COP16 will take place between 21st October and 1st November in Cali, Colombia
Biodiversity is a measure of the number of different varieties of life forms found in earth. Some ecosystems are richer in biodiversity than others. The richer an ecosystem is in biodiversity, the more stable is that ecosystem. Globally biodiversity has been shrinking at an alarming rate. The Biodiversity COPs are tasked with finding ways of reducing and turning about this loss of diversity.
30th August 2024
Practising the same environmentally friendly habits on holiday as we do at home. This can include using active travel over cars for getting around; carrying a keep cup to avoid single use takeaway cups; using a refillable water bottle; showers rather than baths – and if we are somewhere where there are water shortages such as in Sicily, being very careful not to waste water.
This approach might also include not buying things we don’t need. A souvenir that simply gathers dust when we come home is not always the best way of remembering a holiday. There is a saying that we should ‘Take nothing but pictures and leaven nothing but footprints’.
At the same time we may want to support the local economy where we are staying – which could be by using the local cafe or bar.
29th August 2024
After travel and accommodation, food maybe the next consideration. We can, whether eating out or self catering, make our diet more or less environmentally friendly depending on what we choose to eat. Choosing a plant based diet will have a lower environmental impact than one based on dairy and/or meat. “Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the biggest ways to reduce your environmental impact, according to scientific studies” (1)
(1)https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46459714
Further reading https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
28th August 2024
After travel, what accommodation? The following maybe of interest if you’re staying in a hotel.
“According to DEFRA, the carbon emissions of staying in a hotel in the UK are 10.4 kg CO2e. (Per room per night). How does this rank amongst the other available data? A figure of 10.4 kg CO2e per room per night ranks the UK a little outside the top five lowest impact hotel stays in 7th place. Overall, it is the 4th lowest footprint within the European countries where data is available. Only Switzerland, France and Spain outrank the UK.
“Figure 4 shows the top five countries as well as the UK in yellow for comparison. Although the UK has one of the lower carbon emissions per room per night, there are still significant opportunities for further reductions by increasing our use of renewable energy. Whilst Costa Rica has the advantage of consistent sunshine for its solar panels and France have a significant amount of nuclear power, they provide an example of where the UK would one day need to be.” (1)
Whilst The Home Camper and Campspace web site suggests 23kg CO2 emissions per night for a B and B, 21kg for a hotel and 0kg for a tent. (2)
I suspect there is more to be a sustainable, low carbon hotel than just the offer of ‘not washing your towels on a daily basis’ which is so often the sole suggestion made by hoteliers. I wish providing a good vegan menu were more often the case.
(2)https://campspace.com/en/p/find-your-sustainable-getaway_791
(1) https://circularecology.com/news/the-carbon-emissions-of-staying-in-a-hotel
The Green Tau 