Environmental issues
Uncertainty
It is easy to look at the green fields around Lydford and think that global environmental issues must surely be of little concern to those of us lucky enough to live here.
After all climate change predictions are mostly based on computer models and those models are only based on the ideas of the people who built them. To give an example, a recent article in New Scientist magazine* quoted three predictions for sea level rise by 2100. One by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is for a rise of up to 59 centimetres. Two others are quoted ranging from 1.4 metres to 25 metres
Given such variation can we have faith in any prediction on climate change? The key issue is that if we do nothing other than business-as-usual the consequences are potentially catastrophic. Do we really want to take that chance?
*Gaia Vince (2009), Paradise lost?, New Scientist, issue 2707, 9th May 2009
Mounting evidence
Although there is a lot of uncertainty there is also hard scientific evidence that greenhouse gas levels are rising in the atmosphere and there is widespread acceptance that this is causing global warming. Bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have issued reports clearly identifying the problems and these are available on their website www.ipcc.ch/
In fact the environmental problems are wider than just climate change. The UN report Global Environment Outlook: environment for development, fourth report, known as GEO 4, covers a range of issues. It makes clear the problem is not just one of climate change but also pollution (land, water and the atmosphere) and over exploitation of all the world’s resources. Although the report is long it is worth reading and may be downloaded from the United Nation Environment Programme website at www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/
Professor Sir John Beddington made a speech to the SDUK 09 conference held in London in March 2009. The text of the speech can be found on the Internet at www.govnet.co.uk/news/govnet/professor-sir-john-beddingtons-speech-at-sduk-09 and interesting reading it makes.
Professor Beddington discusses vital issues such as how to feed a rising population and the effect of climate change on food production. He also discusses rising demand for energy and water and how these factors will come together to cause significant problems as early as 2030 if nothing is done
Return to top of pageGlobal problems and Lydford
One thing is for certain, these are global problems and although some parts of the world may be affected earlier or more severely we will all be affected to some extent, even us here in green and pleasant Lydford. It is possible to deal with the very serious global environmental problems but they need to be tackled at all levels, international, national, regional and local. It is all too easy to think that whatever we do here in Lydford will have little effect but the worst thing that we can do is assume that business-as-usual is an option
Everyone can do something. If nothing else find out what the problems are. If you are reading this you have access to the Internet and there is a mass of information there. A good place to start is with Prof. Beddington’s speech
It is sad that an opportunity was missed when developing the Lydford Parish Plan. The main questionnaire contained very little of any relevance to the environmental problems mentioned here (see separate section on Parish Plan). Politicians at all levels (central government, county, district and parish) need to be aware of the need for drastic action so why not ask them just what their attitude is to environmental issues?
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