MyEnviroMind

The news headlines on Sunday the 14th June, 2020. Violence and "thuggery" has broken out overnight as far-right "counter-protestors" clashed with police. Meanwhile, #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) protests continue to be largely peaceful throughout the UK, abiding by the principles of civil disobedience.  I'm just going to say it clear and outright - there is no place for the violent behaviour carried out by these self-proclaimed “statue defenders.” Quite frankly, I am ashamed to associate myself with those who raged and pelted and “defended” the colonial histories I share with them as a British citizen. Rather than being defended, Britain's colonial legacy must be acknowledged, taught in schools and countered. Consequently, I will not give ‘counter-protests’ any more acknowledgement in my blog. However, if any individuals from these protests would like to come forward and peacefully discuss their opinions with me, I will gladly engage and try to seek more of a mutu...

The illustrious tail of the Snow Leopard. The ivory tusks of the African Elephant. The fuzz-ball that is the Great Panda. What is it you think of when the the words "endangered" or "extinction" flash red in front of your eyes? For millennia, humans have been fascinated by the mighty beasts with whom they walk alongside. Their grandeur, their stature. The way they stand, ablaze with nature. Indeed, the vibrancy of life is contagious. For us humans, witnessing such wonders both humbles the mind and animates the spirit. We have evolved with nature and it's health is our health; integral to our survival. It is only natural to desire displays of such wild, unrefined colour. Fleeting spectacles of art you can just about comprehend. Perhaps also stemming from our longing to be like them, our love of the big and beautiful creatures of this Earth is concrete. Rock art depicting animal life dating from 6000 BC in Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria (United ...

Imagine yourself 30 years from now. Imagine yourself looking back, reflecting on your time spent on this Earth. What will you think? "Just look at how far we've come" How far will we go? It's hard to depict what the future will be like. It seems to get harder as the years go on and the potential for technological innovations expand. It's quite possible that technology will have dramatically altered how we look at and experience life. It's likely that the reality (and virtual realities) we shall experience are far from our present imaginations. But how far will we actually go? Two days ago the Collins Dictionary announced their word of the year for 2018: Single-use - made to be used once only. Much of the four-fold increase in the use of the term can be attributed to the moving scenes of BBC's Blue Planet II. Once again the power of the arts shook society from its paralysis, awakening its disconnected environmental consciousne...

Tired of feeling immobile? Frustrated with government inaction? Hungry for a safer world which lies within reach? So was Jamie. Structured by social norms and societal patterns, autonomy, acting independently, is hard to come by. Whilst many academics and public figures refute the existence of a 'society' (to quote Margaret Thatcher (1987), "there's no such thing as a society"), a multitude of others suggest that the existence of a society provides rational to the current environmental crisis. Why can't I seem to reduce my energy consumption? Why can't I realise my goal to eliminate my plastic waste? Why can't I just live sustainably? Dale Southerton, professor at the University of Manchester, and Jo Mylan (2016), research fellow at the same uni, believe that society constrains people's ability to act out of their own will. True? I'd like to open the debate up to you in the comments below. Personally, I feel that such constraints do exi...

I think it is about time to head back to the major subject in hand; that one topic which encompasses and feeds off all of the rest; climate change. For those of us who struggle to stick to our anti-climate change resolutions (it saddens me to say that I quite regularly fall into this category) and those of us who just can't seem to be able to take that one extra step towards sustainability (be it eating less meat & dairy, going zero-waste or switching to commuting by bike) this article unveils some interesting finds about human psychology and the power of society. A study funded by the European Union's Research and Innovation programme, Horizon 2020, the following was discovered and then written in Leo Barasi's recent article for  The Guardian : "In most European countries, about three-quarters of the public say they’re worried about climate change, yet less than a third would accept higher taxes on fossil fuels to cut emissions." Barasi calls this...

"If the current destruction of the rainforest continues, then I have absolutely no hope that any orangutans will remain in the wild." Alan Knight, Chief Executive, International Animal Rescue. As Summer draws to a close, so does my Palm Oil study. And wow, am I grateful for what I have learned. Yet, before I rush into my next adventure, I find it important to remind myself that this is not the end of the story. The tragic biography of the world's rainforests has not yet concluded and continues to be rewritten by one species alone. The wise (wo)man has just begun to realise the immense scale of her or his own footprint on this world. The need to act to save the orangutan's native land, shared with our sisters and brothers of indigenous tribes, becomes ever-increasing. So much so that if we fail to commit to the duties of this planet, the consequences, scarily unknown to us, will bring the entire life-system closer to breaking point. Mother Earth is being pushed...

We're caught in a trap. Going in circles. Repeatedly being warned by the same sinister depictions of an increasingly luming dystopia whilst simultaneously failing to embrace a new plastic-free, organic and environmentally friendly way of life. Psychologists would say this is because we fail to accurately judge the future and prefer instant satisfaction to a chance of an even more satisfying event which may or may not happen later on. Do you want to go to the gym today for a healthier you tomorrow, or do you want to watch a film? Do you want to heat your home today or heat it tomorrow? Do you want to be able to heat your home today or live sustainably in 2050? As someone who is only 18 and will be 50 years old in 2050, that point in space-time seems far beyond my me. So many uncertainties; it is a future I cannot depict with any degree of accuracy.  Now, though, why do you think we are failing to remove ourselves from the road of 'business as usual?' If I asked you t...