Blog
Fighting Fire with Fire
Since the Australian fires of some weeks ago, I have felt that there is much to be considered in what has been happening. At the same time there has been a part of me that doesn’t want to write anything about them. I have wondered why it is that I have felt able to write about UK floods and yet it has been more difficult to find something to say about the bush fires in Australia.
Holding a Steady Mirror
It seems at the moment as if there are items of news reporting every day which relate to climate change. Some of them have obvious links, but others less so. One of the obvious ones is when there is coverage of the “climate strikes”. Yesterday a gathering in Bristol in the UK was highlighted. I would guess this was mainly because of Greta Thunberg’s attendance.
Uplands and Lowlands
There have been many times over the last few weeks when I have thought about writing about flooding. We are now in the last week in February and figures I have seen in the last few days suggest that some parts of the UK have already received double their average rainfall for this month with a number of days to go (and it is still raining!).
I Consume but I am not Burned
Yesterday our family settled down to watch a Doctor Who episode which was first broadcast some weeks ago. Its title was Orphan 55, of which more later. I didn’t find it the most enjoyable offering. I thought I would look today at what other viewers made of it and see whether they agreed with me or not.
The Biggest Block?
In the last few days I have started reading a book which I have a feeling may go some way towards explaining why human beings have, as a race, been so slow to grasp the nettle when it comes to climate change and other ecological issues. I admit that I am somewhat late to the party as Iain McGilchrist first published The Master and His Emissary in 2009.
Awareness of Water
Water is the other part of the Trees by Water name. Water is perhaps an issue not just in relation to climate change itself, but more broadly in terms of our relationship with the natural world. Although we in the UK generally think of water as a plentiful resource, we have recently experienced water shortages in some areas.
Trees - for Now and for the Future
The name of the website where these blogs are being posted is Trees by Water. That name was chosen because it suggests growing to maturity in a healthy way. The first blog on this site gives a few ways that we can look at the symbolism of both trees and water.
The Time is Now
The beginning of a New Year seems a good day for a blog, the first year of the 2020s even
more so. One reason for this is that the headlines of at least some of the newspapers this
morning feature the prize which Prince William is instituting to encourage people to find
solutions to the climate crisis.
A Globe-All Perspective
I am writing this two and a half weeks after an election and one day
before the end of the year. The New Year is generally a symbol of
hope and I’m still idealistic enough to think that elections can be too.
One of the striking aspects of the election campaign for me
was that ecological issues were at least discussed far more than in any other campaign
Not Alone
Sometimes an event happens which makes you feel really privileged. I can think of a number of examples of seeing a wild animal just going about its business which come into that category. Maybe that’s because I grew up in an urban environment, although part of me also wants to think that even if I’d lived in the country as a child something like this could still be special.