By Stephen Le Quesne
I DO find it hard to find the positives sometimes, especially in relation to the natural world and how we treat and view the environment.
Terms like “eco-fascist” and “eco-zealot” can be just thrown about without any thinking or nuance about what they mean or how this might be viewed by others. Quite often, environmentalists are given the image of thoughtless tree-huggers who are religious-like in their views, talk in an echo chamber and who would not mind if they crashed the economy while protecting the planet.
It is complete nonsense, but it does seem to stick and it really gets to me. Our policymakers often treat the environment as a nice-to-have but not essential, and when we do have a minister who attempts to put out policies slowly but surely that are positive for the environment, and make sense, they are then criticised immensely (I am talking about the tree-protection law here).
It still amazes me how angry some individuals can get when positive environmental policies are attempted and will have long-term benefits for our children and grandchildren. Are they so critical because they are against any environmental action? Or because it is an easy win as the arguments against are simple? Positive environmental action needs input from all stakeholders, but it needs to be informative and constructive, not judgmental, or abusive.
With the environment, we are running out of time to make sure we have a habitable planet for the future, and we are running towards a scenario where we could possibly see societal breakdown and battles for our depleted natural resources. It really is that serious. The climate is breaking records this year and breaking climate models.
If you are reading this and think I am being dramatic and talking complete rubbish then that is okay, this is not why I am writing. What I would encourage everyone to do is listen to the scientists, read the scientific papers, have a look at the evidence. It is all there, and we are living in the consequences right now.
Apologies – I have spent half of this piece being quite negative. Having a moan? Or just being brutally honest? Greenwashing, especially, really angers me and it has been in full force this week with the news of the first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable jet fuel, which was biofuel. Recent research from the Royal Society has found that the UK would have to devote half of its farmland or more than double its total renewable electricity supply to make enough aviation fuel to meet its ambitions. Is this sustainable? Producing crops for biofuels also means more deforestation.
If you are still reading this, I do need your help with two things that are positive, feel-good projects in Jersey, which could do with a few more people, a few more eyes taking a bit of notice. They are both inclusive, open to all and involve tea and cake at the end as a thank you.
The first is the Jersey Conservation Volunteers, an initiative where on the first Sunday of the autumn/winter months an outdoor physical task is done with the objective of helping wildlife and improving our natural spaces. It is a great event and the one I attended at the beginning of this month involved planting marram grass on the sand dunes in St Brelade. The grass was needed to help sustain the unique landscape of the dunes and help buffer against the large footfall of the area.
Tasks with the JCV are shared with the Environment Department and the National Trust for Jersey. To find out more you can send an email to wildaboutjersey@gov.je. The next one is on Sunday 10 December and involves helping clear and manage a wet meadow near Samarès Manor with tea and cake ready and waiting after a good couple of hours of working and chatting away.
The next positive initiative is Grow, a community horticultural charity that aims to provide agricultural and horticultural sessions, lessons, and experiences with a therapeutic element. This is a first for the Island on such a large scale and even though they are slowing down for the festive season, help is always appreciated on Saturdays when the fruit trees, gardening plots and surrounding landscape needs managing and tendering. If this sparks your interest then search for them on the commonly used social media channels.
Both of these community programmes I like to think of as “intersectional environmentalism”. An inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet.
Or maybe a better term is “inclusive environmentalism” whereby small social communities are created that build connections to help people and wildlife. This is the environmentalism that excites me the most. These are small positive steps in what seems like a large, angry, turbulent world right now.
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Stephen Le Quesne is a naturalist, conservationist, forest school leader and nature connection advocate.
