World's wildlife facing a crisis

If you watched David Attenborough's latest programme called 'Extinction: The Facts' on Sunday night, you will be fully aware of the problems facing the world's wildlife.  Most of these have been caused by our human actions and decisions we have made, often when we are far away from the consequences.  It is only when we see programmes like these that we become fully aware of the bigger picture and the harm that is happening to wildlife and also to people who live in the most poverty-stricken areas of the world. 

Deforestation is a huge issue, and is the most common cause of most loss of wildlife.  This is driven by the need to farm cattle, sheep and goats, or to grow animal feed crops such as soya which requires huge amounts of land, fertiliser and water.  It is usually cheaper to just clear new land than to help recover and reuse previously farmed land.  

Fishing is another problem.  Fish are caught inside huge industrial nets which catch many other fish and sea life, not just the desired species that they are after.  Quotas may be in place but are not monitored or enforced properly.  Many animals each year are entangled in fishing-related equipment or consume plastic items which remain inside their stomachs and cause death if they are unable to feed successfully. 

Animal poaching is a hidden problem that continues to happen without much detection.  Many animals such as rhinos, elephants and pangolins are trapped and killed for their horns, tusks or scales in the belief that they will cure diseases such as cancer, and they can sell for thousands of dollars on the black market.  Animals may also be kept alive in terrible conditions and have very poor quality of life. 

The UN announced in a report yesterday that the world has failed to meet any of its targets set out in Japan in 2010 to protect wildlife and reverse the damage that has already been done.  They have said 'humanity is at a crossroads' and that it is up to us to take the next steps.  Some progress has been taken in some areas, but large areas of vegetation and habitat are still being destroyed and many species are still at risk of extinction particularly in areas such as South America.  

Governments can make decisions that will help put laws in place, but it is also up to us as individuals to take actions that will reduce our impact on the planet.  To find out more visit the links below:

👉 Age of extinction - article

👉 BBC player - Extinction: The Facts

👉 The World Wildlife Fund

👉 Greenpeace

👉 The Wildlife Trusts 

Zero Waste Week 2020

 This week is Zero Waste Week  ♻

How much waste do you think you produce in a week? What about a month? A year?  How much of it goes to landfill, or are you a super recycler?  If you're like me, you try not to think about it too much as it can feel quite alarming when you add it all up! Zero Waste Week is a time where we can refocus on how much rubbish we produce each week and try to find ways to limit it.  Producing zero waste is quite an ambitious challenge, but if we even halve our waste then that would be amazing progress!

It's important to remember why we need to do this.  We are so far removed from the whole operation of waste disposal that it is easy to forget it even exists once the rubbish lorry has been along and collected it. Plastic continues to be one of the biggest problems in the waste disposal process.  So much plastic is for single-use, and is then dumped back into landfill where it will remain for several hundred years.  Even plastics that can be recycled and not always put through this process and end up in landfill too.  

Plastic pollution in our oceans is a major cause for concern.  As plastic is so light, it can float and travel long distances and is very hard to retrieve.  Around 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year and over 90% of bird species are thought to have plastic in their stomachs.  Some of the biggest culprits are plastic bags, plastic drinks bottles, and any kind of plastic packaging (this accounts for 40% of all plastic produced).  

So what can we do?  Any action is better than no action, and although making different choices can sometimes be more expensive, we need to think about what damaging plastic is costing the planet:

💚 Visit a local green grocers

Lots of greengrocers sell produce loose or in paper bags which can be easily composted

💚 Shop second-hand

Lots of clothes are made from polyester or viscose which are a kind of plastic; buying second hand is cheaper and avoids new plastic being made

💚 Buy from a refill shop

If you have one nearby, take some containers along and fill up on a few items from the refill shop.  Look to see what other plastic free items they have as well

💚 Get a compost bin

You can easily buy or make a compost bin.  This saves your food scraps from going to waste and is amazing for the garden!

💚 Buy less

We tend to generally buy a lot more than we need!  Challenge yourself to see if you can go for a week (or even a month!) without buying the things you absolutely need such as food and toiletries

Find out more at https://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk 

Drilling for Arctic oil

Many parts of the Arctic have been drilled for oil over recent decades. The rock beneath the ice and snow holds a wealth of natural fossil fuels which various governments and corporations have sought to exploit in order to benefit from the profits and industrial development that such a resource brings.

This week, it has come to light that the US government is now going to allow a new plan to go ahead to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  This is an area in north-east Alaska which is home to many different animals including reindeer and polar bears and many other mammals and birds. It sits above millions of barrels of oil which can be extracted by drilling deep down into the ground.

The government say that drilling for oil will provide jobs for hundreds of Alaskan people and generate large amounts of income for the area.  However, we have already seen from other projects like this that the environment is usually destroyed to the point of no return and animals have to migrate elsewhere which disrupts the balance of the ecosystem.  

Many people also feel (now more strongly than ever) that there is no room for these kinds of projects with the current impacts of climate change hitting almost every corner of the globe.  They believe money should be being invested into green alternative energies, and not finite fossil fuels whose reserves will quickly be used up. There is no need that is great enough to risk having the oil spills, habitat destruction, noise pollution, and the increased greenhouse gas emissions that would result from another oil refinery.  

Arctic areas are seeing the impacts of global warming more than ever, with ice melting at an increasing rate and more and more risk to polar bears who rely on the ice for fishing and migrating.  It seems, illogical, therefore, to go ahead with such an outdated and dirty fossil fuel extraction project in an area that it trying to cling on to its status as a pristine wilderness. 

To find out more, click here:

BBC News

National Geographic 

Greenpeace

News in brief - Wednesday 25th September

UN oceans report warns of climate change impacts
A new report from the United Nations is showing that climate change is having devastating impacts on our seas and oceans; melting ice is causing the release of significant amounts of carbon dioxide and warming seas are leading to the mass migration of wildlife

Mont Blanc glacier in danger of collapsing
Reports that around 250,000 cubic metres of ice are at risk of breaking away from a Mont Blanc glacier have caused road closures and evacuations in the area; local people are saying the mountain is changing due to global warming and that the glacier is moving more quickly than normal

North Sea cod population falls
Recent data is showing that the numbers of cod in the north sea are declining and that fisherman may no longer be allowed to catch it; this comes two years after the fishery was given the 'blue tick' eco-label to certify sustainability 

News in brief - Thursday 29th August

Banning fires in the Amazon
Brazil has now banned the use of fires as a land clearance technique in a move to minimise any further damage caused by the spreading wildfires across the rainforest; there will be meetings next week to discuss what further actions may be taken

Birds of prey persecuted
The RSPB has reported 87 confirmed incidents of bird crime last year, with only one successful conviction; birds of prey such as buzzards, red kites and owls are sometimes poisoned, shot, trapped or illegally killed

Fracking controversy
A large tremor near a fracking site in Preston has raised tensions again over the controversial practice; the 2.9 magnitude tremor is the largest ever recorded in the UK due to fracking 

News in brief - Tuesday 19th March

Flooding in Mozambique
Cyclone Idai has caused huge areas of Mozambique to become submerged underwater; around 1,000 people are thought to have died after strong winds and heavy rainfall struck the coastal areas at the weekend

Risk of UK water shortages
The Environment Agency is warning that the UK could run out of water within the next 25 years; pressure is being placed on resources because of rising population levels and declining supply due to climate change

The benefits of offshore wind farms
Offshore wind technology in the UK is becoming more cost efficient as turbine designs have rapidly improved; there are currently a significant number of offshore wind farms in shallow seas, but the next step is to look at floating wind farms