“Human beings have overrun the world. We’re replacing the wild with the tame." David Attenborough this morning.
Though I never turned green skinned like those medieval Norfolk children, I have always been 'green' in thinking. So yesterday as I read articles I noticed one saying billions of bees will die in America in the production of Almond milk for Vegans. I have actually questioned in my own mind whether to buy this milk, and then said no because the thought of rendering billions of nuts to milk so that I can feel virtuous about not drinking dairy milk seems a step too far. When I analysis, first thing up, bees die anyway, but of course in the monoculture of some of the farming in North America, when miles of the same vegetable/fruit are attended to by people in protective suits and masks, I know why the bees are dying. It is an artificial way of growing food with herbicides, pesticides, single crops etc.
We live longer lives, create more humans, scientifically we manipulate our food growing, introduce into the world more harmful fossil fuels that change the structure of our finely balanced natural Earth, and then go into Climate Emergency (here I use the Guardian interpretation) but of course with many of our 'elders' Climate Denial. Again I don't know the answer.
So yesterday I listened to Larry Korn, on the pioneering work of Masanobu Fukuoka. A Japanese farmer who allowed his planted field of vegetables to run wild, and his trees to produce fruit without the added help of pesticides. In fact I have his book, written way back in the 1970s. By allowing the rotted squashes and wheat/rice to regenerate the next year by leaving them on the ground and not ploughing. There are three videos.
I have always taken green ways of living with a sort of feeling that no it will not work for the large amount of humans that live on this planet, but also knowing that the way we farm at the moment is unsustainable. We create the catastrophe, and then have to find a way out of it.
For instance the use of nitrogen......
Nitrogen at higher levels causes a loss of certain plant species, depletion of soil nutrients, death of fish and aquatic organisms, and contamination of drinking water.
Take a walk down any lane in the country and see the loss of wild flowers because of spray from the adjacent farm land has allowed the stronger plants like nettles to grow, there is a tangible imbalance when we fight the so called weeds.
There is a story about a Japanese fisherman. He is sitting quietly on the shore mending his net. Along comes a business man, sits down beside him. Asks him why is he not out fishing, the fisherman replies he has caught enough for the day. The business man then goes on to say catch more fish, more profit, bigger nets, larger boat and you will be RICH and HAPPY. The fisherman says but I am happy now with what I have.
I have always taken green ways of living with a sort of feeling that no it will not work for the large amount of humans that live on this planet, but also knowing that the way we farm at the moment is unsustainable. We create the catastrophe, and then have to find a way out of it.
For instance the use of nitrogen......
Nitrogen at higher levels causes a loss of certain plant species, depletion of soil nutrients, death of fish and aquatic organisms, and contamination of drinking water.
Take a walk down any lane in the country and see the loss of wild flowers because of spray from the adjacent farm land has allowed the stronger plants like nettles to grow, there is a tangible imbalance when we fight the so called weeds.
There is a story about a Japanese fisherman. He is sitting quietly on the shore mending his net. Along comes a business man, sits down beside him. Asks him why is he not out fishing, the fisherman replies he has caught enough for the day. The business man then goes on to say catch more fish, more profit, bigger nets, larger boat and you will be RICH and HAPPY. The fisherman says but I am happy now with what I have.
Oh dear! And Attenborough quoted today as saying, basically, it's very nearly too late. I wish more of us were like that Japanese fisherman.
ReplyDeleteWell the same message was given out at least 30 years ago, but went unheeded. Perhaps we can salvage something with the new wave of people. We have the old Attenborough and Thunsberg as a young campaigner. Australia is burning in parts, the ice caps are melting and our small country is hardly feeling any of the problems but is starting to address the replacement of fossil fuels. Small beginnings.
DeleteMy favourite quote, which I came across recently is by Alexander Pope, "Man, is nature's sole mistake". But, - is evolving from the chimp, nature? If not, then nature is not responsible for us and we are 'gate crashers', wrecking everything in sight, just because we can.
ReplyDeleteI suppose I call it ignorance, a willingness not to learn and to take what we can as humans, in other words, selfishness. Unfortunately whereas the scientists understand what is happening the rest of us don't. I like that quote from Pope. I think our evolution from the chimp was a sad day for the life of the Earth, but then nature has the wherewithal to bring the big foot down ;)
ReplyDelete\when I was a child my father used to take me on nature walks and the hedgerows and stream sides seemed to be full of wild flowers - the hedges full of birds; all of that seems to be gradually disappearing and it is sad I agree. But looking at the size of the small farms in the Dales, there is no way farmers can spare a margin round each field to be left to its own devices - the fields are too small. It will always be a problem because these farmers need sheep in order to survive - and sheep eat the wild flowers - and plants like yellow rattle disappear. I honestly don't know the answer
ReplyDeleteI think there will be technical answers in the future but probably not in our time. But at least there is a a good awakening by our media to start writing about it.
ReplyDelete