Environment v quality of life
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The temperatures we are experiencing are a good indicator that something isn’t quite right. Not particularly at the moment, but the temps we had up here in February in Yorkshire were unreal. Folks were outside in t shirts and shorts. That’s not February in Yorkshire. We need snow to kill off the bugs, keep the slugs at bay.... I’ve got roses that flower all year round, even had carnations flowering through Winter, admittedly in pots up off ground, but I no longer bother to automatically put some plants into greenhouse now, just check weather daily.
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But the President has backed down hasn't he? The Rain Forest debacle has been going on for thirty years or so, I remember our children were brought up on the perils of rain forest loss. Progress is slow but we are seeing more concerted efforts to work together and improve air quality otherwise whole nations will be poisoned by foul air. China has had to start cleaning up it's act which hasn't been helped over recent years by consumer demands from the west. We have cleaner air here because we've cut back on polluting manufacturing but we'll tolerate other countries making stuff for us.
I don't think it's an unstoppable situation, once people understand it affects everyone.
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Windspeed averages do seem to be climbing. Although I no longer sail, I often think that I would have had fewer opportunities due to excessive wind strength.
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The balance of nature is a very precarious system. Only in recent times has any real scientific work been carried out to understand how Man is affecting it, and that understanding is probably very limited in the overall complexity of nature. Vast amounts of money have been spent on the exploration of space, compared to 'chicken feed' on understanding and caring for the planet that supports our existence and upon which our very lives depend.
No matter what we do now, or how urgently we address our problems, they will need to be tackled globally and with all nations in concert with each other. The damage has been caused over a great many years of blind ignorance (centuries in fact), and the repair work will take a lot longer to heal than it took to do the damage in the first place.
I believe that future generations will be forced into lifestyles very alien to those that we take for granted today. But that pales into insignificance against the alternative risk of life becoming extinct!
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Whilst Greta Thunberg reduced her carbon emissions by crossing the Atlantic by yacht, am I being too cynical in pointing out that the crew then re-crossed by air and a relief crew were then sent out, by air, to recover the yacht?
How many trees did that little caper need to achieve carbon zero?
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Apart from the loss of the Amazon Rain Forest the High Speed Rail proposed and started in this country will decimate large tracks of some of our oldest forests, all to save a few minutes for the rich to get from Brum and M/C to the "Golden" city!!
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HS2 - a quick way to write 'white elephant'
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Quite agree there, CY, and I noticed somewhere over the W/end that they are STILL buying up property in the London area when it had already been stated there was to be some form of inquiry into the whole blooming thing !!
Could they be raising a whole herd of the things to top up the London Zoos ??
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Just as well the Victorians didn't have such a blinkered view of providing railways. To my mind HS2 is essential for the future of UK railways. All this nonsense about it being only for the rich. HS2 will provide essential extra capacity for our railways which inturn will mean that existing lines can provided a better service to the millions of commuters across the country. If the country wants to save money better to get rid of to completely useless aircraft carriers!
David
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Blimey, MikeyA, I'd like a jar or six of what you've had
Ask the poor souls trying to get across the north of England, not sure what the schedule says, but they fail the calendar test regularly !!
Nothing personal there, M, I've already admitted elsewhere I'm quite likely to display the occasional touch of acid on here
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It's a bit more than 10 minutes. London to Birmingham something like 30 minutes and London to Manchester nearer an hour, as would Birmingham to Leeds from the figures I have looked at. At those time savings it makes it more economic for firms to be based out of London. As I said building HS2 will have a positive benefit on the rest of the network by freeing up capacity for more local journeys. Anyone who has travelled on HS1 to Paris or Brussels will know he benefit.
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Total passenger numbers in France and the UK are very similar which just confirms how busy our rail system is. French rail passengers travel a greater number of kilometres than passengers in the UK but that is only to be expected given that France has twice the land mass of the UK.
David
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When you read some of these posts it is depressing
From lack of knowledge on global warming, and environmental damage etc .
The unwillingness to do what is needed, from the generation which probably is responsible for the causes0 -
Good point, but what are you personally doing?
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TMTO, in my book, no one who drags a large white box or drives a commercial vehicle around the country as a leisure pursuit has the right to criticise others in matters of environmental responsibility.
I’m afraid anything you write will, for me, forever be tainted by your ridiculous words elsewhere.
"Nice site, though trees could do with pruning, and cutting back, especially in height. So if you are going for a long stay, taking a set of pruning shears, and a chain saw, might be a good idea"
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Thank you David, for another well considered post, as ever. Pliers asks who’s criticising Greta - see here Pliers https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/greta-thunberg-climate-change-crisis-strike-austism-misogyny-protest-speech-a9127971.html
We have a Prime Minister who was a climate change denier, until the then Prime Minister told, not asked, him to do a U turn for political expediency. The US President patronised her. But she’s got some good advisors along with her own marketing talent, so she’s out finessed him. The Chinese have taken major and effective steps to reduce population growth, the Japanese birth rate has dropped below parity, and the Brazilian president is hell bent on maintaining popularity by appeasing Amazon forest abusers. A wannabe UK Prime Minister wants to restore lost benefits for families with > two children.
In truth, populism is overwhelming any well considered plans for a sustainable future for our children. To an extent, that’s the inevitable result of allowing votes from people who aren’t educated to research before expressing views. Others trample the majority, out of self interest. Maybe I should switch off our LED bathroom lights instead of writing.
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You sound just like our Grandaughter
blaming our generation?,yet when asked what she is doing to set an example to us,cannot see that her flying everywhere for holidays, driving to the shops (half mile from her house)and always has the latest gadgets (that we never had) is harming the planet far more than we ever could
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LED bathroom lights?, tip-write in the daylight then no need for any lights👍🏻, happy to help😊
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Just noticed a M&S has changed from black plastic food packaging to a lighter colour so that the recycling centres will recognise it and not reject it . Are the rest doing it? I don't visit many supermarkets. But I see a bit of progress, which is good.
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Certainly Waitrose announced the same thing some time ago and I am sure others will be doing the same. I would be interested to know why they used black containers in the first place (probably cheaper?) and why they couldn't develop a system that could spot them going through the recycling process. I am still of the view that the main problem with recycling is that there is no nationwide authority in charge of setting best practice. Each local authority seems to be left to its own devices. No wonder there is so much confusion on Club sites on what can be recycled!!!
David
Just a quick edit to say that whatever colour the food containers are they have to be clean when put out for recycling. As I am standing at the kitchen sink washing them out with hot water I often worry that I am using even more energy to get them clean? I suppose the main objective is for them not to go into landfill.
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Speaking on behalf of a large percentage of Northern folks, HS2 is not popular up here. It’s not a quicker link to the Golden paved streets of London we need but better, weather proof links across the Pennines. Try getting across the Snake, Cat and Fiddle or even the M62 in a foot of snow! But what do we Northern folks know.......🤔
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